Led by a combined 42 points from Julia Arms and Brooke Dowlen, the Jo Byrns Lady Red Devils won their second district title in three seasons Saturday night with a 60-47 victory over East Robertson in the District 8-1A championship.
Jo Byrns was without starting guard Grayson Bryant for much of the game. Bryant attempted to play in the first half but was not at 100% due to a previous knee injury. Bryant re-aggravated the injury in the first quarter and left for the remainder of the contest.
Led by back-to-back 3-pointers from Ida Barnard, East Robertson took advantage of Jo Byrns’ slow start and jumped out to an 11-8 lead.
The Lady Red Devils fought back, however, and retook the lead 24-23 before the half.
“When Grayson went down, I think we sort of sunk a little bit because of what she means to our team,” Jo Byrns coach Jessica Holt said. “So, for my other girls to come in and play like they did, (it) was unbelievable. They played their hearts out tonight.”
Jo Byrns continued to find its offensive rhythm in the second half and began the third quarter with a 20-6 scoring run. Arms provided the spark with 10 points in the quarter.
“We finally got comfortable and gained some confidence in the third quarter,” Holt said. “With girls, it’s a mental game just as much as it is physical, so I think once they started to get a little bit of a lead, they realized that they could do this.”
After a strong first-half performance, East Robertson struggled offensively in the second. The Lady Devils’ lead continued to grow to 15 points by the fourth quarter following another three from Arms and free throws from Brooke Dowlen.
“I don’t know if the stage was just too big tonight, but this wasn’t a reflection of how we’ve played all year,” East Robertson coach Kenyatta Perry said. “We’ve earned the right to be in this game, but I told our team that tonight was a learning experience. We’re lucky enough to move on, and when we play like we’re capable (of), I think we can beat anybody in our region.”
Jo Byrns took home the district title, and both teams will advance to the Class 1A East Regional Tournament. Both teams will host games this Friday night. Their opponents are yet to be determined.
BOX SCORE:
East Robertson (47): Ida Barnard 15, Macy Phelps 14, Peyton Lackey 8, Katie Pennington 7, Kylie Perry 2, Savannah Hinkle 1
Jo Byrns (60): Julia Arms 22, Brooke Dowlen 20, Reese Payne 8, Caroline Reed 5, Noelle Lancaster 3, Madison Luoma 1, Millie Putnam 1
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