In a game filled with jump balls and free throws, it was Morton Ranch coming into Mayde Creek’s gym and taking a 35-32 victory Tuesday night in a District 18-5A girls basketball game.

And though it was a low-scoring game and the free-throw percentages were not excellent, the Mavericks dropped 13 shots from the line to come away with the win.

“Kyndall Bowens stepped up and made some key free throws when we needed her,” Morton Ranch coach Pam Bowers said of her guard’s five made free throws. “They are always a difference every night you play especially when it is a tight, close ball game and each team is playing hard. You got to make at the free throw line. Those are gimmes.”

Morton Ranch led for most of this game with Bowens leading the way. The Mavericks had a five-point advantage at halftime, but the Rams came out firing on a cylinders. Alayna Tillis hit the opening jumper of the half and it was run-and-gun from then on out.

This, along with the hot hand of the Rams’ Tiffany Pullings, helped Mayde Creek to a 2-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

“I think the biggest difference between the first half and the second was we went to our zone and they came out and hit three or four three-pointers,” Bowers said. “It kind of took our momentum from us so that kept us from getting the breaks we wanted.”

But the breaks came in the final quarter. While Pullings, the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, was still hot from behind the arc, the Mavericks stepped up their defensive efforts.

Blocked shots and steals forcing turnovers helped in the transition game. Pullings knocked down her final three-point shot with less than 1-minute to go to pull the Rams within a single score.

After Mayde Creek forced a turnover it appeared to be anyone’s game. But despite the opportunity, the Mavericks were still able to pull away with the win.

“I told them it looked like Mayde Creek wanted the ball game worse than we did,” Bowers said. “We were just making some mental mistakes, mainly not taking care of the basketball. It came down to the free throw line which is good because we didn’t have a very good night offensively.”

GAME LEADERS
MR – Kyndall Bowens (10)
MR – Sherwayne Chambers (7)
MR – Gabby Branch (7)
MC – Tiffany Pullings (17)
MC – Kelsey Teague (7)

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