Lady Phoenix Classic Game Results

River Rouge defeats Central Collegiate Academy
Detroit Country Day 52 Mumford 42
Ann Arbor Pioneer defeats Detroit Edison
Lansing Everett 68 Oak Park 42
Southfield 50 Dearborn Heights Robichaud 40
Southfield Lathrup 43 Ann Arbor Huron 38
Detroit Renaissance 86 Farmington Hills Harrison 65

LBI: Inside The Game Summary

Lady Phoenix Classic

“Southfield Bounces Back to Defeat Robichaud”

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Detroit Renaissance High School

Southfield came into the game with one thing clearly in their game plan; shut down #2 (Kayla Brown). This was evident from the opening tip. The Bulldogs however realized the Blue Jays game plan and made adjustments. Going into the half, they would lead by 10. However Southfield wasn’t out of the game yet and made another adjustment. They would implement a full court press and double team Brown every time she touched the ball. This led to the Blue Jays forcing Robichaud to make numerous turnovers and opening the door for fast break points. They would go on to hold Robichaud to single digit scoring quarters and walk away with the victory.

Leading the way for the Blue Jays was freshman Alexis Johnson with 18 points. Teammate D’Layna Holliman would finish with 11 points. Kayla Brown had a team and game high 25 points (23 in the first half).

Game and Team Highlights

Southfield:

• The Blue Jays did a great job of recognizing their weak points in the game and making adjustments.

• When they are being aggressive on defense, they have to move their feet and cut down on their fouls.

• Southfield has a bright future in freshmen Alexis Johnson and Rizaria Franklin. Look for them to make a lot of noise has their high school careers progress.

Dearborn Heights Robichaud:

• In the first half, the Lady Bulldogs did a great job of talking on defense and moving the ball on offense. They have to do that consistently throughout the game to be successful.

• Brown did a much better job of turning on the heat early in the game and sparking her team. She needed help when the adjustments were made in the second half and no one stepped up to that.

• Turnovers and missed layups were ultimately what cost Robichaud this game. The ladies need to find a way to not get rattled when Brown they can’t get Brown the ball and also play through adversity.

   

LBI: Inside The Game Summary

Lady Phoenix Classic

“Lathrup Takes Home the Win Against AA Huron”

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Detroit Renaissance High School

With Huron down two starters, we knew that this game would be a struggle for them. Lathrup did a good job of controlling the game early. They aggressively crashed the defensive boards and minimized second chance shots for the River Rats. They ran the floor well and communicated on both ends. Huron didn’t use their missing teammates as an excuse. They played with a lot of energy and hustled on defense and offense. They never allowed the Chargers to run away with the game and often cut the lead down to 1-2 points. The inside presence of the Bello twins was just too much for Huron. The two combined for over half of Lathrup’s rebounds and help lead the Chargers to victory.

Taiye Bello led her team in scoring with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kara Wilson had a team high 19 points for the River Rats, which included 4 three point shots.

Game and Team Highlights

Ann Arbor Huron:

• Although Huron played with a lot of energy, their mental focus seemed off. The girls will have to fight through that in the future to be a state championship contender.

• With the River Rats not having an extremely tall team, everyone must crash the boards and help rebound.

• Pushing through mental and physical fatigue will help Huron win tight games in the future. They appeared to run out of gas this evening.

Southfield Lathrup:

• With the River Rats running a box-1 defense on Miller, Deja Church is going to have to use opportunities like this to show her stuff. Make teams pay dearly for making that decision.

• The Bellos did a much better job of helping their team today on both ends of the court. Hopefully we will continue to see this type of play.

• The Chargers had a nice lead but let it get away with turnovers and poor decision making. Being consistent is important to their success.

 **Follow R. Simone on Twitter @LBI_RSimone**