Lady Blazers crush Colonels

The girls' varsity basketball team (12-4) defeated the Magruder Colonels (1-14) by a score of 73-58 last night. Blair began strong and maintained a 20-point lead throughout the second half. Despite the unusually large amount of fouls, the Lady Blazers remained dominant and improved on weaknesses of previous games.

Strong defense contributed to a number of Magruder turnovers, allowing Blair to score 20 points in the first quarter. For every point Magruder scored, the Lady Blazers came back stronger. The Lady Blazers ended the first half on a high note when, at the last second, junior point guard Myla Sapp regained possession of the ball and sunk a three-pointer.

Sapp and junior guard Morgan Chase lead the team with 19 points each. Junior forward Johanna Lopez followed with a total of 15 points.

Sophomore guard Melissa Romero had a strong defensive performance and totaled seven steals. Romero's formidable defense contributed to a number of turnovers and breakaways, though Blair has struggled with defense in past games. She went into the game with a positive and assertive attitude, which helped lead her team minimize defensive errors. "I knew that we had to be aggressive on defense, so I went out strong," Romero said.

The Lady Blazers used a triangle strategy on offense which helped them establish a 40-19 lead in the second quarter. Through strong teamwork and communication, the team kept possession of the ball for the majority of the first half. The girls remained consistently solid in their offense and improved their defense mainly in the first half. "We really picked up and got intense on our defense," junior guard Adrienne Jackson said.

In the third quarter, momentum shifted in favor of the Colonels - they forced a number of Blazer turnovers. During this run, Magruder focused on gaining more control and took advantage of Blair's increasingly sloppy passes and fatigue.

The Blazers committed many fouls throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, Romero and Chase fouled out of the game, but Blair was still able to maintain a 20 point advantage. The two teams played head-to-head for the remainder of the game.

Blair adjusted its strategy by taking advantage of Magruder's weaknesses, focusing on strong passes and covering the entire court. In the fourth quarter, Blair started double-teaming certain key Magruder players, which led to more turnarounds and steals.

Though this game was a great win, the Lady Blazers still need to focus more on their defense, according to Head Coach Erin Conley. "We improved on our weaknesses from previous games, but we still need to work on our defense and rebound and free throw percentage," Conley said.

The girls' varsity basketball team will play their next home game on Feb. 7 against the Sherwood Warriors at 5:15 p.m. This is a make-up game due to recent snow.

Editor's Note: Myla Sapp is a staff writer for Silver Chips Online.