Lady Vikings Lose to Mays' Tough Defense

After a long layoff because of last week’s cancellations, the girls faced a tough Region 6-AAAA road game against Mays on Tuesday night. The Lady Vikings kept it close in the early running, but were worn down by the constant Mays defensive pressure in a 72-32 loss. 

Ten days after the team’s last game, the Lady Vikings clearly showed rust. Turnovers, both forced and unforced, were a problem for the Lady Vikings (1-10, 0-7 in region play) against perennial power Mays, head coach Angela Thompson said.

“Hopefully between now and the postseason we can get (our turnover problems) together,” Thompson said. “And if we do, I think we can be competitive.”

The team achieved its first win of the season in its last game all the way back on Jan. 8, dispatching neighboring Druid Hills in a 72-46 final. But with no seniors and just two juniors, Mays’ depth and experience proved too much for the Lady Vikings at the Coretta Scott King Academy, where Mays (6-5, 4-2) is playing its home games while its gym is being renovated. 

Lakeside’s two juniors led the way with guard Janelly Plummer and post player Kadijah Howell-El each scoring nine points in the contest. Plummer scored eight of the team’s 12 first-quarter points while Suzanne Boden chipped in four points and Emily Wenner had three.

Mays’ post defense with Mariah Dean and Christina George — 6-foot-3, and 6-foot, respectively — made points in the paint hard to come by. Dean had 12 points and George contributed nine, and each stuffed the stat sheet with a flurry of blocked shots. 

Guard Kristi Ware paced the Lady Raiders with 26 points on the night. Ware and the rest of the Mays backcourt also made it hard on the young Lakeside offense with constant full-court pressure leading to fast-break points.

“Just putting them in that situation, especially during the press, it’s been hard for us,” Thompson admitted.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier this week for the Lady Vikings in the near future, as Class AAAA No. 5 Southwest DeKalb, another region opponent, awaits on Friday in another difficult road trip.

“We’ve come a long way just building that confidence,” Thompson said. “This is a tough region to play in and we play against some tough teams.”

The Lady Vikings tip off at Southwest DeKalb at 5:30pm on Friday.