Lady Rebels kick off new basketball season with pair of blowout victories
The Leake Academy girls basketball team tipped off the regular season last week and did what they usually do, deliver a pair of blowout wins.
Leake travel to Brookhaven last week and beat Oak Forest 61-28 on Monday and the host Lady Cougars 64-41 on Tuesday.
Leake, now 2-0 on the season will return to play this week as they play in the MRA Classic on Monday against the host Lady Patriots. They will then play against Bayou Academy on Tuesday. On Thursday, Leake will travel to Copiah and will then play at Jackson Academy on Saturday to wrap up a busy week.
Leake coach Amanda Hatch said she has high expectations for this year’s squad that went 28-8 last year but lost in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament. Gone are graduating seniors Katye Jones, Olivia Rudolph and Ella Bell.
“This group has a lot of talent and a lot of depth,” Hatch said. “We are rotating nine players in and out. We do have a lot of young players and are inexperienced in some spots. We return only two starters off of last year’s group but because of their talent, depth and hard work, we do have high expectations for this year. We have been in a two-year drought without a state championship, so this group is hungry.”
Leake girls 61, Oak Forest 28
The Rebelettes outscored the Lady Yellowjackets in every period and cruised to a 33-point win in the season opener on Monday.
Leake jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the first period and then outscored Oak Forest 10-8 in the second and led 30-14 at the half. Leake then put the game away in the third as they outscored Oak Forest 20-4 to take a 50-18 lead into the fourth. Leake also took the fourth 11-10.
Codi Breedlove came off the bench to lead Leake with 13 points while Jenna Allen had 12 points. Sarah Prince had 11 points and Caroline Cheatham chipped in six points.
Leake girls 64, Brookhaven 41
The Rebelettes again outscored their opponent in every period and took a 23-point win over the Lady Cougars on Tuesday.
Leake led 18-12 at the end of the first and then outscored Brookhaven 13-7 in the second to lead 31-19 at the half. Leake continued to extend the lead in the second half, outscoring Brookhaven 20-13 in the third and 13-9 in the fourth to take the win.
Jenna Allen was the only Rebelette in double digits with 19 points while Sarah Prince had nine points. Kylee Boykin had eight points while Caroline Cheatham had seven points and Anna Morgan Young chipped in six points.