WEST POINT – Already playing with house money, West Point High girls’ basketball coach Dashmond Daniel decided to gamble late in his team’s Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A Playoff opener against Ridgeland Friday night.
With the Lady Green Wave trailing 27-24 heading into the fourth quarter, Daniel decided to dial up a full-court press in the hopes West Point could create turnovers and avoid letting Ridgeland get easy baskets.
It paid off.
Behind a suffocating defense that forced 11 fourth quarter turnovers, West Pount outscored Ridgeland 22-9 in the final quarter and raced to a 46-37 playoff victory.
The season ended Saturday night for West Point as it fell 44-36 to Lewisburg to finish 16-15.
“It was a risk, that’s for sure,” said Daniel. “Their point guard is a good ballhandler, so I was worried they’d be able to get behind us and score. I usually use the press in the second and fourth quarters but today, we waited until the end. We really started to play our kind of basketball.”
West Point’s brand of basketball also featured another sterling performance from leading scorer Quiyon Bailey, the junior guard who averages nearly 25 points per game. Against Ridgeland, Bailey was particularly dominant across the board, as she delivered a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds.
“When she gets the ball, something good will happen for us, whether she scores or gets fouled,” said Daniel of Bailey. “I’ve told our team that we have a Michael Jordan on our team, we just have to feed her the ball. And when that happens, the rest of our team feeds off of her.”
While Bailey’s showing was strong, it wasn’t until her teammates began to match her play that West Point turned a deficit into a nine-point win. After three quarters, Bailey had 14 of West Point’s 24 points, and the Lady Wave had scored a paltry four points in the third quarter, which turned a 20-19 halftime lead into a three-point disadvantage entering the fourth.
But with the fullcourt press opening things up on both ends for West Point, two teammates joined Bailey in slamming the door.
Guard Alexis Gates scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter and Robianna Young scored all seven of her points during the 22-9 run.
“Everybody stepped up,” said Bailey. “I think Ridgeland was a little scared of the press, they really didn’t want to attack us. So when we got going, everybody on our team fed off each other.”
For Gates, the finishing stretch was especially satisfying.
“(Bailey) takes a lot of attention from the other defense, but when we started going, it felt good,” said Gates. “We were able to get turnovers and then go get layups. It’s great to get a win in the playoffs.”
West Point advanced to the second round of the postseason for the first time in more than three decades. The Lady Green Wave faced Region 1 champion Lewisburg on Saturday night.
Against Ridgeland, West Point started slow. The Lady Green Wave scored nearly as many points in the fourth quarter (22) as they had through the first three (24). To Daniel, the difference was the Lady Green Wave’s ability to shut down the distractions of hosting a playoff game for the first time.
“Playoff experience, we just don’t have it,” said Daniel, who is in his second season at West Point. “But this was a great atmosphere and it got us going. They know how to play our style and they know this is a big deal for us. In my second season, I feel like we are ahead of schedule. Getting to the playoffs is a great accomplishment and actually winning a game is just gravy on top of that.”
For Ridgeland coach Wade Hawkins, the press wasn’t the reason for the loss, and neither was the atmosphere. Instead, Hawkins put his team’s setback squarely on the shoulders of Bailey.
“We let one kid beat us,” said Hawkins of Bailey. “We would not step in front of her, wouldn’t challenge her. We played scared of her. She’s a very good player.”
For Bailey, the win was especially sweet.
“We just wanted a win in the playoffs to create a memory,” said Bailey. “I kept seeing the lane open up in front of me and I was able to score. It feels great.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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