Lady Tigers Roll in First Conference Game; Ragsdale Boys Grind Out Victory Over Grimsley – Wyatt Smith Reporting

The Ragsdale Lady Tigers kept their undefeated season alive in a rout of the Grimsley Whirlies to open Metro 4-A conference play as the Tigers won by a score of 71-19 on Friday night in Jamestown.

The Tigers were dominant from word go. At the end of the first quarter, it seemed the game was already out of reach as the Tigers held the Whirlies to just five points and scored 24.

The Tigers didn’t let up in the second as they went on a 18-0 run to begin the quarter. After that astonishing feat, the lady Tigers led 44-5, and by halftime, the score was 52-12. Ouch.

A running clock shortened the rest of the game, and the final score was 71-19. The Lady Tigers were led in scoring by Nyah Stallings who scored 23 points, Faith Price added 10, and Camryn Briley also pitched in 10 points for the Tigers.

The Whirlies scoring was dominated by Farrah Dowtin who scored 15 of the Whirlies 19 points.

Ragsdale head coach Ben Bradford was pleased with the team’s effort, but still sees room for improvement.

“We did okay,” Bradford said. “We still turned the ball over more than I’d like us to, but overall I thought we executed pretty good.”

The coach’s message before the game was a humbling one, especially to a team who has yet to be defeated.

“I told our kids that everyone was 0-0 tonight and everything we had done before that didn’t matter. Every time we step on the court we want to get a little better.”

It appeared that the Tigers accomplished that goal tonight.

Their next test will be Wednesday when they play at home against Ledford. Ragsdale’s record is now (14-0) and they are (1-0) in conference play.

Grimsley falls to (3-8) and (0-1) in the Metro 4-A Conference with the loss. Their next test is Tuesday at home against Northern Guilford.

GRIMSLEY STATS:

Farrah Dowtin: 15 points

Julianna Gwynn: 4 points

RAGSDALE STATS:

Faith Price: 10 points

Kaliyah Gladney: 7 points

Mariah Frazier: 6 points

KD Walker: 4 points and many asst

Camryn Briley: 10 points

Aijah Palmore: 2 points

Diamond Monroe: 8 points

Nyah Stallings: 13 points

Katarina Morris: 2 points

Cedrica Ellison: 3 points

 

 

The Ragsdale Tigers defeated the Grimsley Whirlies 66-59 in both teams’ conference opener Friday night. The Tigers bested the Whirlies in free-throw shooting and turnovers and that made the difference in the score.

Grimsley came out hot, and jumped ahead to a 12-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Tigers outscored the Whirlies 17-9 and played strong defense to tie the halftime score at 21.

Ragsdale head coach James Atkinson’s message to his team was one of encouragement at the half.

“I told them that we had to keep shooting,” he said. “We weren’t taking bad shots. I told them if we keep shooting that we were going to make it. Just keep shooting and stay positive. We’re not in a bad spot.”

The coach’s message was heard by all, but resonated with one: Devan Boykin.

Boykin alone outscored the entire Grimsley team in the third quarter, 15-11. The rest of the Tigers pitched in and at the end of the third, Ragsdale had an 11-point lead. The score was 43-32.

In the fourth quarter, the shots continued to fall for the Tigers and they pulled away by as many as 17 before Grimsley started a comeback. Coming down the stretch, the Whirlies began to foul the Tigers and prevent them from taking those shots, forcing them to the free-throw line. In the meantime, Grimsley made seven baskets in a row without the Tigers having the opportunity to make a shot. The Tigers were 19/30 from the charity stripe compared to the Whirlies 5/17. That, along with the lead that the Tigers had mounted, was the difference in the game.

Coach Atkinson also preached defense at the half.

“We also told them at halftime that it would be done through our defense, and our defense would get our offense going,” he said. “We made a few stops, and Devan got going, and everyone else got going, and we were able to get on a roll there for a solid six or seven minutes. It was a matter of who got hot last, which was the difference.”

The Tigers’ Boykin led his team with 23 points.

“I came with a different approach in the second half,” Boykin said. “In the first half I think I was a little too aggressive and didn’t let the game come to me. In the second half I was a little more patient.”

Ahmil Flowers led all scorers with 24 points for the Whirlies with Daniel Cooper and Travis Shaw pitching in 10 points each in the loss.

Grimsley falls to (5-8) and (0-1) in the Metro 4-A Conference with the loss. Their next game is Tuesday when they host Northern Guilford at home.

Ragsdale improves to (9-5) and (1-0) in conference play with the victory. The Tigers are next in action on Wednesday when they host Ledford High School.

GRIMSLEY STATS:

Daniel Cooper: 10 points

Ahmil Flowers: 24 points

Travis Shaw: 10 points

Tyler Albright: 1 point

Ross Kreager: 6 points

Luke Jenkins: 3 points

RAGSDALE STATS:

Jaay Ford: 15 points

Bryant Wall: 12 points

Devan Boykin: 23 points

Collin Lanier: 10 points

Trevor Marsh: 4 points