Senior point guard Tenicia Spence scored a game-high 17 points to help Western’s girls basketball team claim a 56-42 victory over Milford Mill on Thursday in the 15th annual Basketball Academy at Coppin State’s Physical Education Complex.
Senior forward Rayia McKnight finished with 12 points, including nine in the fourth quarter for the Doves (7-5 overall). Qierra Murray and Taylor Carter combined for 15 points.
Senior forward Desiree’ Carr was a force inside for the Millers (3-5), scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Spence had five points, while Murray and Tierre Taylor had two each in Western’s 9-0 run to start the game. A steal and layup by Carter gave the Doves a 14-4 lead late in the first quarter and Western was up 25-20 at half.
A putback by Emon Heath and a bucket by Carr gave the Millers’ their only lead of the game, 32-31, with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
Freshman guard Maiya Gibson drained a three-pointer a few seconds later and McKnight hit three free-throws to help the Doves end the third quarter ahead 37-32.
Milford never got closer than seven points in the fourth quarter. The Millers shot just 9-of-27 (33 percent) from the free throw line in the game.
Western returns to action on Saturday when they face Willingboro (NJ) at 2:00 p.m. Milford Mill takes on No. 20 Poly at 12:30, also on Saturday, in the final day of the 2011 Basketball Academy.
| No. 9 Western 56, Milford Mill 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Milford Mill: Ford 7, Thompson 3, Heath 4, Naylor 2, Barnes 4, Burley 6, Carr 16. Totals 16 9-27 42. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western: Taylor 2, Spence 17, Murray 8, Carter 7, Taylor 2, Jackson 2, Smoot 2, McKnight 12, Gibson 4.Totals 19 16-30 56. |
