Leake wins seventh straight title 

Southern Sports & Travel

Winning a state championship is a tough task to accomplish. Defending a state championship is equally tough. Winning seven straight championships had never been done in the forty two years of MAIS state tournament competition, until now.

The top ranked Leake Rebelettes held back second ranked Bowling Green 52-44 to win the school’s seventh consecutive state championship before a thunderous throng of Leake supporters yesterday in Grenada, Mississippi.

Hannah Peoples and Mary Grace Key combined for 30 points and Leake dominated the boards as they improved to 38-2 on the season heading into next week’s Overall Tournament where the Rebelettes will take on Class A #3 seed Hebron.

Yesterday’s championship game had all the makings of a donnybrook through the first quarter of play.

(Above) Leake's Chloe Thaggard (#15) pulls down an offensive rebound in the 1st half

After Leake had built an early 6-2 lead two minutes into the contest Bowling Green began hitting some baskets.

A Mackayla Dykes 3-pointer from the wing at the 4:31 mark got the Lady Bucs to within a point at 8-7 and another Dykes 3-pointer with 1:08 left in the quarter knotted the game up at 14-14.

Leake would finish off the quarter on a Mary Grace Key offensive rebound and put back and a 3-pointer from the wing from Hannah Peoples with 22 seconds remaining to give the Rebelettes a 19-14 lead heading into the second quarter.

Peoples hit on one of two free throws to start the second quarter and the junior guard made Bowling Green pay off a turnover with another 3-pointer to give Leake their biggest lead at 23-14 with 6:33 remaining in the half.

After Bowling Green’s Caroline Haik sank one of two free throws Leake reeled off another six points to cap a 15-3 run and take a 29-17 lead at the halfway point.

Bowling Green came out strong in the first three minutes of the third quarter and pulled to within six points at 32-26 on a Reagan Moody 3-pointer from the wing with 4:58 left in the quarter but Leake’s defense starting wearing on Bowling Green.

(Above) Hannah Peoples (#5) of Leake drives to the basket in the second quarter

Chloe Thaggard went glass from the post position to extend the Leake lead back to eight points at 34-26 and the Rebelettes jumped back to a 38-26 advantage on an Anna Kay Nowell free throw and a Mary Grace Key 3-pointer from the corner at the 2:40 mark of the quarter.

Leake finished off a 9-0 run on a Hannah Peoples driving basket, plus one, to extend their lead to 41-26 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.

Bowling Green closed out the quarter on a BreAnna McNeese basket and two Caroline Haik free throws to get the Lady Bucs to within eleven points at 41-30.

Bowling Green appeared to have taken a momentum surge midway through the fourth quarter as the Lady Bucs got a fast break basket from Melissa Crowe to get to within eight points at 44-36 with 4:31 left in regulation but sophomore Mary Grace Key closed the door with a big 3-pointer from the corner to push Leake’s lead back to eleven points at 47-36.

Bowling Green would have no answer for the Leake spread offense down the stretch as junior guard Anna Kat Nowell did what she has done the entire post season, put on a ball handling clinic.

Fellow junior guard Hannah Peoples led all scorers with 18 points, Mary Grace Key added 12, Chloe Thaggard 8 and Anna Kat Nowell and Hannah Moore 7 each.

Bowling Green was led by freshman Reagan Moody with 12 points, Mackayla Dykes had 11, Caroline Haik 9, Ashley Foret 6, Melissa Crowe 4 and BreAnna McNeese 2.

Leake will take on Hebron Tuesday at 2:45 in Overall Tournament play while Bowling Green (34-3) will battle Class AAA Champion Starkville Wednesday at 3:00.
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.Post Game with Leake head coach Doyle Wolverton

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