Sprayberry loses tough matchup at McEachern

Kelly Micham

Last night, the McEachern Indians won at home against the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets. Both teams had a strong crowd come out to cheer them on. There was high intensity drifting through the stadium as the girls were looking to prove themselves early in the season. Both the Indians and the Yellow Jackets ended last season with a 65.5 win percentage that they both hope to improve on this year. The Indians were successful on Saturday night, beating the Yellow Jackets 59-37.The ladies tipped off right at 6PM and things got moving quickly. Though the Yellow Jackets scored the first basket, the McEachern girls took a strong lead almost immediately scoring back- to-back 3-pointers. The Indians managed a 7-point run in the first quarter, but the Yellow Jackets showed back up with a 10-3 run late in the second quarter.McEachern Senior point guard Denim DeShields made a powerful impression with 6 field goals leading to 17 total points throughout the four quarters. Senior center Jillian Hollingshead followed right behind her with 10 total points.

Sprayberry Junior point guard Flau’Jae Johnson was the real star of the game, though. She had several crucial assists and led the team in rebounds. A well-rounded player, she had 5 field goals with a total of 18 points.

The Yellow Jackets were hopeful after ending the first half with only a 7-point deficit, but they couldn’t seem to find their groove after halftime and, ultimately, lost by 22-points.

The last quarter was filled with fouls against players on both teams and the majority of the last five minutes was spent from the free throw line.

This win brought McEachern to a 2-1 record and Sprayberry to a 2-2 record. McEachern continues their non-conference game streak with North Paulding at home on Monday night and Sprayberry will meet regional rival Lassiter at home on Tuesday.