After splitting the first two games of the Tarkington tournament on Thursday, the Lady Dogs bounced back and defeated Hull-Daisetta 59-51 in the third-place game Saturday morning.
Kayla Williams led New Waverly with 21 points and six rebounds. Jai Cleveland chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds. Shelby Nunez grabbed 10 boards and scored eight points. Also contributing was Myeisha Williams with nine points and Alex Abbott with five.
“It started out a little rough,” New Waverly head coach Eldridge McAdams said Sunday. “We played flat the whole game. But as I’ve said before, I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day.”
The Lady Dogs (3-2) trailed 38-36 entering the fourth quarter. That’s when New Waverly started to play more aggressive and drove the basket with more frequency. As a result, the Lady Dogs shot 14 free throws in the final period and converted on 12 attempts.
“We really knocked down our free throws down the stretch,” McAdams said. “Both teams were aggressive, but our guards did an excellent job getting into the paint. Good teams find ways to win in crunch time. We got two good wins out of this tournament.”
Hoping to build on their success, the Lady Dogs will play at Grapeland today. The opening tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“We’re young, but we’re still growing,” McAdams added. “There are still some things we have to correct. Our focus will continue to be on defense. We’ve got to keep working.”
