From start to finish, they dominated.
After her teams’ 65-26 win over county rival Northeast Jones Thursday night, West Jones girls basketball coach Sharon Murray couldn’t find anything overwhelming negative with her team’s performance.
“Our girls shot the ball extremely well,” said Murray. “I thought defensively we looked good as well. We also rebounded the ball well, and that helped us get into our fast breaks. I’m just proud of the effort our girls showed tonight.”
West Jones never trailed in the contest. From the games’ opening basket, a layup by junior guard Jurnee McLaurin shortly after tipoff, the Lady Mustangs maintained its lead.
The Lady Mustangs (3-0) remain unbeaten on the season with the win.
Points leader
McLaurin finished the night with a game-high 27 points.
Of her 27 total points, 12 came in the first period, including seven consecutive points that gave the Lady Mustangs a 7-1 advantage after four minutes of play.
“Jurnee shot the ball well,” said Murray. “Her three points shots opened things up for us early.”
The junior guard drained four 3-point baskets, all coming in the first half.
McLaurin shot 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Two other Lady Mustangs finished with double-digit points. Starting sophomore guard Brikayla Gray netted 14 points, while junior guard Brianna Carr finished with 12.
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Finishing
Just as they did in the opening period, West Jones started the third quarter with a solid run. This time scoring a lot faster and more efficient.
Under a minute and a half into the third stanza, the Lady Mustangs netted eight quick points and prompted a timeout call by NEJ girls head coach Ebonie Jones.
“With these local rivalry games you have to make sure you finish,” said Murray. “Our girls came out and ran our offense well. I was glad they kept their intensity up and kept playing hard. Every team is going to make runs; you just have to be sure you make more runs than the other team.”
Free throws
Among the things West Jones did well, and Northeast Jones didn’t, came in the form of free throws.
West Jones finished night 8-of-12 from the line. NEJ struggled, making just 4-of-17 free throws.
“We’ve been doing well with free throw shooting,” Murray said. “I sure hope we keep that up. You have to make those free shots in this game to do well. I just hope we continue to shot from the line like we did tonight.”
