Varsity Girls Basketball Claims Conference Championship

After a first half where neither team could get going offensively, the Generals found themselves down 10-8 at the break.  Harding Academy was not to be denied, as it dominated the third quarter, blanking the No. 2 seed 9-0.  The girls turned up the heat in the full-court press and in their half court defense.  Offensively, the Generals aggressively attacked the MJCA zone defense, shot 10 free throws in the quarter, and got two MJCA starters in foul trouble with four fouls, including all-conference stand-out Marcella Galione who sat most of the third quarter.  The fourth quarter was more of the same, as the Generals outscored MJCA 11-4 and shot 5-of-8 from the free throw line to help seal the victory.  Maggie Cannata led all scorers with a season-high 12 points, scoring at least 2 points in every quarter and putting up 5 points in the fourth quarter alone.  Abby Andrews scored 7 points; Zara Bracegirdle and MiMi Bond scored 3 points each, including a clutch shot by Bond in the fourth quarter; Cece Bayliff converted a steal into a two-point bucket in the third quarter; and Lowery Nickels, saddled with foul trouble throughout the game, chipped in 1 point to round out the scoring and to go along with unparalleled and impassioned leadership.  In addition to the hardware of regular season and tournament champions plaques and the big trophy, Andrews and Nickels made the seven-member all-conference team, and Bracegirdle garnered All-Conference Honorable Mention along with three others from various conference opponents.