By Chris McCarthy/Editor
A Little bit of this and a Little bit of that, and Glencoe High qualified for the Etowah County Schools girls basketball tournament semifinals.
Sophomore guard Breia Little scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Lady Yellow Jackets to a 54-28 opening round victory over host Gaston on Tuesday (Jan. 19).
With Glencoe holding a slim 12-9 lead after one quarter, Little contributed 12 points to a 17-2 second quarter run that provided the Lady Jackets with a 31-14 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs never got within 17 points in the second half and managed just two field goals over the final 16 minutes.
Little also shot 70 percent (7-for-10) at the foul line.
“This is a normal night for Breia, and she’s a girl that I have to remind myself to go over and congratulate after every game,” said GHS head coach Daniel Cook. “It’s not just the points; it’s her taking charges and diving all over the floor. Without a doubt, she’s the heart and soul of this team.”
Glencoe plays Hokes Bluff on Thursday for a berth in Friday’s championship game.
All but 12 of Gaston’s points came at the free throw line, where the Lady Bulldogs converted 14 of their 26 opportunities (54 percent).
The Lady Yellow Jackets shot 58 percent (10-for-17) at the charity stripe.
After Sidney Oliver’s free throw drew Gaston within 14-10 early in the second period, Glencoe scored 10 straight points to take a double-digit lead for good.
“We ran the floor a little bit better in the second quarter, and we had better success with our press and got a lot of points off transition,” said Cook.
Skylar Thompson added eight points for the Lady Jackets, while Lauren Cole and Addison Rogers each chipped in six.
Taylor Bush paced Gaston with 11 points, followed by Oliver with nine.
Cook was pleased with the success of his young squad so far this season, as Glencoe has no juniors or seniors on the roster.
“We are a glorified JV team, so I’m definitely tickled that we’re 9-12 right now and second in the area. We’ve got bright days ahead of us.”