BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — After both the Auburn High School (7A) girls’ and boys’ teams defeated Lee-Scott Academy (3A) at home on Nov. 20, the Warriors sought revenge as the Tigers returned the favor with a trip to Samford Gymnasium.
While the Lady Tigers again showed their superiority with a 77-45 win over the Lady Warriors on Dec. 5, the Warriors claimed an extraordinary 73-67 victory over the Tigers. That win is believed to be the first in LSA program history over AHS in an official, competitive girls’ or boys’ basketball game.
Following the victory, the Lady Tigers improved to 5-1 while the Lady Warriors slid to 4-6 on the year. The Warriors strengthened their record to 7-2 while the Tigers fell to 7-3 through 10 games.
As the girls’ teams took the court, LSA knew another slow start could doom them like in the November matchup. With that in mind, the Lady Warriors managed to take a 15-13 lead as AHS’ withering full-court press and balanced scoring approach couldn’t match LSA’s star power.
However, the Lady Warriors’ lead did not last long as the Lady Tigers ripped into the second quarter with renewed energy to go on a 22-9 run. Throughout the period, AHS’ noticeable advantages in size and athleticism especially took a toll in the paint, with the Lady Tigers rebounding and scoring nearly at will.
That resurgence gave AHS a 35-24 lead entering halftime as both teams exited the floor to their respective locker rooms.
Coming out of halftime, the Lady Tigers further pushed their advantage with a 28-12 third-quarter run that saw excellent three-point shooting by LSA’s Clarke Ivatt and Sydney Dunlap rendered moot. Star AHS guard Braylee Winfrey particularly harassed the Lady Warriors’ frontcourt with slashing runs toward the basket from the wings.
Having built a virtually insurmountable 63-36 lead entering the fourth quarter, AHS took its foot off the gas with a 14-9 run that saw its full-court press soften and bench players play a larger role.
Ivatt led all scorers with 24 points, and Dunlap chipped in an additional 11 points for the Lady Warriors.
In the boys’ game, LSA took the court with the same mentality after having fallen behind by double-digits in the first quarter in the first game with the Tigers. That lesson appeared to have been learned as the Warriors stormed out of the gate with a 19-11 first-quarter run partially courtesy of Chapman Harris’ hot hand early on.
LSA’s good fortunes continued into the second quarter with a 19-14 run as its harassing, opportunistic defense kept AHS’ three-point shooting at bay and Troy University signee Haiden Harper asserted himself more as a playmaker and scorer.
That first half performance gave the Warriors an impressive 38-25 lead at halftime.
Despite being down by double-digits entering the third quarter, the Tigers worked their way back into the game as a string of LSA turnovers, improved halfcourt defense and evenly distributed scoring helped fuel a 22-18 run. At one point AHS had even tied the game 40-40 before the Warriors ballooned their lead back to 10 points by the end of the period.
In the end, the Warriors had done just enough in the first half to give themselves a chance to weather the storm in the final quarter despite AHS going on a 20-17 run. Clutch three-point shooting by William Liles and free throw making down the stretch proved to be enough to hold on for the win.
Harper led all scorers with 22 points, while Barrett Cook and Liles contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Warriors. Antwane Daniels and Trindon Manior tied to lead the Tigers with 20 points apiece.
