With seven players on his roster, West Point High School girls basketball coach Dashmond Daniel was worried about his team’s conditioning Saturday against South Panola in the New Hope High Trojan Classic.
Daniel had reason to be concerned.
After two starters were dismissed over the holiday break, West Point fought to keep the game within striking distance in the fourth quarter, but South Panola’s depth was to much to overcome in a 68-60 loss.
South Panola used a 13-5 run to close the game to earn the victory.
“With seven girls, there was only so much that we could do,” Daniel said. “I was very pleased with the effort. We played extremely hard. We gave absolutely everything we had, but we ended up coming up short.”
Guards Quiyon Bailey and Alexis Gates combined for 47 of West Point’s 60 points. Bailey, the team’s leading scorer on the season, led the way with a game-high 25.
“They are our best two scoring options,” Daniel said. “They kept attacking the rim, getting good shots. I was proud of the way they kept fighting.”
Bailey, who left the game briefly in the second quarter, scored 17 points in the second half.
“There were a lot of open lanes to the basket,” Bailey said. “Coach is always telling us to get to the rim and try to get as many layups as we can get. That’s what I tried to do today.”
West Point (7-7) refused to go away against a bigger, deeper South Panola squad. The Lady Tigers led 38-31 early in the third quarter, but Bailey scored all of the points on a 7-0 run to tie the game midway through the period. The teams stayed close for the rest of the game before South Panola’s closing run.
“I knew West Point would be aggressive and physical because that’s how West Point players are,” said South Panola coach Jemmye Ann Helms, who was West Point’s girls coach from 2006-10. “West Point has a super aggressive and determined team, and they battled with everything they had. They played extremely tough.”
For Bailey, the 25-point performance was more of the same. She had a season-high 35 last time out against Houston. For Gates, the 22-point effort was a dose of what Daniel wants to see more often from his point guard.
“She is one of the fastest girls I’ve seen at this level,” Daniel said. “She can get by anybody with the ball in her hand. She just has to work on finishing once she gets there.”
Forward Jasmine Wright led South Panola with 17 points, while Chloe Morgan added 16 and Alexis Smith had 14.
West Point will play Tuesday at Saltillo in its district opener.
“I don’t feel great about it,” Daniel said. “We’ve got some ninth-graders we can plug in after Thursday to help us, but going into district play with seven, it’s going to be tough.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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