Lady Dragons tough in loss to Montgomery

From tipoff of the Lady Dragon Classic, the championship game was physical. The Lady Dragon defense, led by Brittany Rachuy, forced the Montgomery Vikings into turnovers  or missed shots.  The first quarter ends tied 12-12.  With much of the same tough defense and inconsistency on offense, the Lady Dragons end the half with the score of 20 and Montgomery up by 1.

The Lady Dragons open the second half fired up. They fought Montgomery tooth and nail for every point and rebound. The physicality of play eventually drew blood from the nose of Montgomery's All-Empire Anandi Jimenez sending her to the bench for a short stint. After the injury substitution, Ceja and Studdert turn up the intensity, powering to the basket and drawing fouls.  The Lady Dragons win many of the battles for the ball, but can't take advantage of their scoring opportunities. Down 25-31 at the end of the third, the game is beginning to slip away with each tick of the clock and shot drained by Montgomery's Ashley Wilson and the return of Jimenez. 

Though the Lady Dragons take second in the tournament to Montgomery, they still come out with a win. The Vikings were held to 41 points, the lowest point total this season. This is a different team than the one I saw against Ursaline November 30. This team is putting together the components they will need to be a contender in this league. If they can complete fastbreaks and be more aggressive in the paint with finished buckets, this will be a tough team to face.

Notables:

All Tournament: E. Ceja, A. Studdert, Sonoma Valley High School;  S. Fitzgerald Montgomery High School; K. Glanter, Northgate; Sara Luccia, San Marin.

MVP: A. Jimenez, Montgomery.