MRA smothers Leake

Southern Sports & Travel

The Madison-Ridgeland Academy Lady Patriots used a stifling defense and got 13 points and 13 rebounds from freshman center Amber Landing to defeat Leake 53-40 yesterday afternoon to advance to today’s Overall final against a familiar foe, Starkville.

MRA improved to 31-7 with the win and will be looking to capture the school’s fourth Overall girls title and first since 2007.

To do that the Lady Patriots will have to defeat a Starkville squad that just last Saturday captured their first ever girls state championship with a come from behind win over MRA.

(Above) MRA's Jessica Whitehead (#24) and Leake's Mary Grace Key (#11) battle for a loose ball 

In MRA’s win over Leake yesterday the Lady Patriots saw the Rebelettes jump out to an early 6-2 lead in typical Leake fashion, converting turnovers into fast break opportunities but MRA settled down and produced a 10-1 run to end the quarter and take a 12-7 advantage.

With MRA holding a 16-11 lead with 3:21 left in the half Leake looked to get on a roll.

Following a Hannah Peoples free throw Anna Kat Nowell converted an MRA turnover into a fast break bucket to pull the Rebelettes to within two points at 16-14.

Haley Cox hit on one of two free throws to push the Lady Patriot lead to 17-14 but that lead evaporated as Peoples hit a free throw and Nowell scored off an offensive rebound to knot the game at 17-17 with 1:29 remaining in the half.

MRA closed the half strong.

Tori Kennington scored on a baseline drive and Anna Claire Henderson canned two free throws off a Leake turnover to give MRA a 21-17 lead with 42 seconds left in the quarter.

MRA extended their lead to six points as Haley Cox drove baseline and converted a huge basket at the buzzer to give the Lady Patriots a 23-17 halftime edge.

MRA stretched their lead to nine points at 27-18 on freshman Amber Landing’s basket in the paint two minutes into the third quarter and the Lady Patriots grabbed their biggest lead at 34-21 following a Tori Kennington free throw at the 1:30 mark.

Leake trimmed the deficit to ten points at 34-24 on Anna Kat Nowell’s 12 foot jumper, plus one, to close the quarter.

(Above) Leake's Mary Grace Key (#11) launches a jumper in the first half

Leake started the fourth quarter on fire as Nowell hit a 12 foot jumper following an MRA turnover and Hannah Peoples converted on an MRA turnover to pull the Rebelettes to within six points at 36-30 with less than one minute elapsed in the final quarter.

Leake would get to within six points once more at 38-32 on a Nowell drive with 5:29 left but MRA would begin to pull away.

Carmen Carter’s transition bucket gave MRA a 40-32 advantage and Anna Claire Henderson served up an assist to Carter on consecutive possessions to push the Lady Patriot lead to 44-32 with 2:48 left in regulation.

Following a Mary Grace Key 12 foot baseline jumper to pull Leake back to within ten points at 44-34 MRA slammed the door.

Carmen Carter went baseline and scored with 2:14 left to extend the lead back to twelve points at 46-34.

Leake got to within eight points on a Mary Grace Key 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining but Anna Claire Henderson hit a free throw and converted on a fast break to seal the deal and give MRA a 53-40 win to advance to the final.

MRA was led by freshman Amber Landing with 13 points and 13 rebounds, Carmen Carter added 11, Anna Claire Henderson had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, Haley Cox 9, Jessica Whitehead 5, Tori Kennington 4 and Tori Hines 1.

Anna Kat Nowell led Leake (39-3) with 21 points, Hannah Peoples had 10, Mary Grace Key 7 and Chloe Thaggard 2.

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Post Game with MRA head coach Stephen Force