Oak Grove Lady Warrior Nataliya Magee is just a sophomore, but tonight she played like a seasoned veteran as she scored a game-high 18 points in Oak Grove’s 35-28 victory over Biloxi in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
“It was all hustle points. Most were steals and she took them to the rim. She does soccer and basketball, starting on both. Since soccer is over, it has given her a chance to get her legs under her I think. She is tough. She sometimes lacks skill or technique, but heart, gut, and soul she makes up for it all,” said Oak Grove head coach Mark Swindle.
Biloxi took an early lead on back-to-back threes from Malaja Ross to go up 6-0 early in the first period. A three from Shakiya Bolton closed the gap, but Biloxi extended their lead by seven to end the period up 12-5.
“We wanted to try to get their big girl out on ball screens, but our guards didn’t do a good job of attacking that. We’ve been struggling the last couple of games shooting the ball. But I think we were able to speed up the game and get some fast breaks which got us going,” said Swindle on the first period struggles.
The second period saw Oak Grove claw back as Magee garnered 10 points on three field goals and four points at the free-throw line. Still, the Warriors trailed 20-16 at the break.
After the halftime break, Oak Grove stiffened up defensively, holding Biloxi to three third period points while Magee, sophomore Kennidi Dean, and senior Janiya Ramsey all connected on baskets to give the Warriors a 29-23 lead as the final period drew near.
The Warriors again tightened up defensively, while Magee connected on two free throw tries and senior Jada Tatum connected on a two-point try to seal the game 35-28 for Oak Grove.
“We are kind of the step-sisters a little bit of girl’s basketball, but you know what? We are just going to try to keep winning. Two years ago we made the final four and it wasn’t a big deal to many, but it is to us. We have it on the wall. We think we can win it all. So, we are just going to go play the next game and see how we do,” said Swindle.
Oak Grove will face Harrison Central on the road in the second round of the tournament.
“We played them in the first game of the year and beat us by 13. They are a really good team and are the number one seed in the region, but right now as a coach we can beat anybody, but we don’t have to beat everybody. We just have to beat them,” said Swindle on the upcoming contest, “I have a lot of young girls. Nataliya is a sophomore. Kennidi is a sophomore. We have some youth in the lineup that has to grow up fast.”
