This Saturday, Nov. 15, the Lady Crimsons hosted the Crimson Crown Classic, inviting various schools to scrimmage at both the varsity and junior varsity level. The Lady Crimsons ended matches against the George Roger Clark Cardinals but lost 47-28 in the first half and 44-28 in the second half.
Despite losing their match, the scrimmage helped the team identify areas of improvement and their strengths.
“We really got to work on, even if we make mistakes, just regaining our confidence, regaining our fight and continuing the game,” said head coach Ashley Franklin.
First Half:
The Cardinals were quick on their feet and gained possession at the tipoff. They scored twice within seconds. However, Kendall Hemmerie (#12, 11) was quick to respond, stealing the ball and scoring the first points for the Lady Crimsons.
Following another point by the Cardinals and a foul made by Brooklyn Davis (#24, 12), Ahmari Brice (#0, 10) and Takenzie Young (#1, 10) secured points for the Lady Crimsons.
After continuous back-and-forth, Manual made various attempts to score and had two free throw opportunities. Manual called the first time out of the game and the Lady Crimsons came back stronger with Amaria Pegues (#23, 10) and Davis scoring.
Both teams subbed players out as the game continued to be an aggressive match with both teams attempting to score and Jermiya Bracken (#11, 10) getting a three-pointer.
The Lady Crimsons continued to try and score with Young attempting many shots. Brice got the last attempt to score before the first quarter ended.
Manual started off the second quarter quick on their feet, but the Cardinals were able to comeback, scoring twice. Davis helped the Lady Crimsons respond, scoring soon after the Cardinals.
The second quarter consisted of both teams going back and forth between possession and scoring. However, the Lady Crimsons struggled to defend.
Davis scored many of Manual’s points in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Cardinals. The second quarter ended 47-28 in favor of George Roger Clark.
Second Half:
The scoreboard was restarted for the second half, and the Cardinals were able to get an early lead. Davis was the first to score for the Lady Crimsons.
The Cardinals were able to score various points before another timeout was called. Once the game was back in play Manual continued to struggle with defense and was only able to score twice by the time the third quarter ended.
Manual started off on the right foot entering the fourth quarter with Davis earning points for the Lady Crimsons.
After struggling in the past quarters, the Lady Crimsons were starting to catch up with the Cardinals. Davis continued to pull through for Manual scoring twice, back-to-back, both being due to the Cardinals missed rebounds.
The Lady Crimsons tightened their defense, not allowing the Cardinals to score while also opening opportunities to score. Young and Brice contributed significantly to shortening the point gap, but it was not enough to catch up.
Although Manual continued to battle through the final quarter, the Cardinals pulled ahead by scoring multiple times, making the final score 44-28 in their favor.
With plenty of time still ahead before the start of the season, the Lady Crimsons have now been able to identify issues they struggle with as well as what works for them and their team dynamic.
“There’s no excuse for us being a younger group we just got to bring it, and we got to do better on the rebounds,” Franklin said.
