After stumbling through the first half of the regular season, the Strayhorn Lady Mustangs finally found some common competition in the Lewisburg Christmas Classic last week.
Despite a blowout loss to Smithville on the second day of tournament action, Strayhorn managed to post competitive efforts against Lake Cormorant and Rossville Christian, earning their first win of the season against the Lady Wolves.
Against Lake Cormorant last Monday, the Lady Mustangs battled back and forth with the Lady Gators throughout the first half, with Strayhorn edging out a 17-12 halftime lead.
Although both teams tend to battle tightly against each other, the second half belonged solely to Lake Cormorant, as the Lady Mustangs were held completely scoreless the rest of the contest, falling 34-17.
Riley Daniels led Strayhorn with five points in the contest, while Lake Cormorant was led by a 14-point output from Malaesha Liddell.
Following the 60-27 loss to Smithville last Tuesday, the Lady Mustangs geared up to face Rossville Christian in a battle of winless teams. Senior forward Callie Bardo took over the game early, scoring the first six points to help propel Strayhorn to a 10-5 lead at the end of the first period.
Rossville Christian fought back in the second period and trimmed the deficit to 14-11 with five minutes remaining until halftime. The game slowed considerably down the stretch, however, as shooting troubles plagued both teams throughout. Despite the offensive struggles, the Lady Mustangs still led 18-12 at the break.
As the third period began to wind down, the Lady Mustangs began to find their rhythm, swelling their lead to 10 points at the start of the fourth period. Over the final eight minutes, Strayhorn outscored the Lady Wolves 12-2 to pull out a 39-19 victory.
Bardo finished the contest with 14 points, followed by nine from Daniels.
Strayhorn enters 2021 with a 1-7 overall record. The Lady Mustangs are slated to open Region 1-2A competition at Potts Camp on Friday, January 8.
Boys’ games:
Dec. 28 – North Panola 82, Strayhorn 16
Dec. 29 – Lewisburg 81, Strayhorn 28
Dec. 30 – Memphis Academy of Health Sciences 65, Strayhorn 26
