By Kyle Roberts
The Ruston High School Lady Bearcats (19-7, 3-0 District 2-5A) used an explosive second quarter to get a key district win on the road at Ouachita by a final score of 62-36.
“Anytime you can come into Ouachita and get a win, it’s a big deal,” Ruston High head coach Meredith Graf said. “We knew they were capable of getting hot at any moment. Our goal was to play hard and active defense in order to prevent that from happening.”
Ruston and Ouachita were tied 16-16 after the first quarter but poured on the points in the second quarter to outscore Ouachita 22-4 to take a 38-20 lead into the halftime locker room.
“Ouachita puts a lot of pressure on the ball, and it can make for a long night,” Graf said. “I was pleased with how we handled the pressure and make the next easy pass which helped give us transition scoring opportunities.”
Both seniors Jaliyah McWain and Zaccheya Jackson finished the night with 17 points apiece, while junior Kiersynce McNeal finished with 11 points.
Graf said she was pleased with her overall team effort playing in a tough environment.
“Bottom line is everyone from the floor to the bench showed up tonight and did their job when called upon,” Graf said. “That’s what being apart of a team is all about.”
The Lady Bearcats will have a full week off before returning home for a district matchup with Alexandria Senior High Friday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be played at Memorial Gym on the campus of Louisiana Tech.
