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District dominance: Lady Redhawks roll past Little Elm
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
LITTLE ELM – After cruising to a 53-35 district-opening victory against The Colony on Tuesday, the Liberty girls basketball team continued its district dominance Friday night against Little Elm.
The Lady Redhawks (15-4, 2-0), playing on the road for the first time during the young district season, earned a 58-38 win after overcoming a second-half comeback from the Lady Lobos.
"We finally came out and put some pressure on [Little Elm]," said Mari Mooneyham Harrison, Liberty head coach. "We used our press and just decided we have to go back to what we do well.”
With Little Elm staying toe-to-toe for the remainder of the quarter, Liberty carried a 12-7 advantage into the second frame.
Attura allowed the Lady Redhawks to build a 24-11 lead at the 3:20 mark of the second quarter after back-to-back makes from beyond the arc. However, the Lady Lobos bent but didn't break in the final minutes of the half and managed to trim the deficit to just nine points after a layup from freshman Claudia Vaughn with just 23 seconds before the break.
Little Elm used that momentum to start the second half with a 7-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer from senior guard Kaytlin Adams at the 5:35 mark of the third quarter.
At the other end of the floor, the Lady Redhawks had temporary difficulties solving Little Elm's 2-3 zone.
"We saw a zone on Tuesday as well," Harrison said. "We just have to be more patient. Sometimes we get a little too anxious out there."
That's when Liberty flipped the switch and went on a 17-6 run to close the frame, with Mundy and sophomore guard Allie Elliott sinking a pair of jumpers in the final minute.
Mundy finished the game with 13 points while Elliott chipped in eight of her own. The team was led by Attura, who poured in a game-high 17 points after connecting on five attempts from downtown.
"It helps us a lot when [Attura] can knock down those outside shots," Harrison said.
Liberty's run wouldn't end with the start of the fourth quarter. The Lady Redhawks carried a 43-30 advantage into the final eight minutes of action and began the final stanza with a 6-0 run that took 2:05 off the clock.
The run saw senior forward Andrea Mapua score a quick six points after being held scoreless in the first half.
Matters were made worse for Little Elm at the free-throw line after a 5-of-7 first half. The Lady Lobos attempted 17 foul shots in the final two frames and missed on eight of them, making things easier for Liberty.
The Lady Redhawks ended the game 5-of-8 from the charity stripe and got eight points from junior forward Bria Frierson.
Little Elm was led by juniors Kiara Almonte and Hollie Nealy, with both players scoring six points in the game. Junior guard Jazz Savage and Adams combined for nine more points for the Lady Lobos, who fell to 0-2 against District 9-4A counterparts with the loss.
Little Elm will look for their first district win of the 2012-12 season Tuesday night with a 6:30 p.m. road game against Frisco.
Meanwhile, the Lady Redhawks will put their 2-0 mark to the test against Centennial, who is also unbeaten in district action this season.
"That's going to be a big one," Harrison said.
The two teams will square off at Liberty in a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
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