Twitter: @DeniqueWilliams
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Georgetown, TX-

The Lady Eagles faced off against Waco La Vega Tuesday evening in Central Texas. A non-district game that would see the lady Pirates take the lead from the start and never let go, going wire to wire. As the clock hit triple zeroes, La Vega stymied Georgetown just enough and secured the 44-34 win on the road.

The first minutes of the game were extremely high energy. Waco La Vega wasted no time in asserting themselves as shooting guard Mimi Willis scored the first points of the game by way of a contested layup within seconds of the opening tip.

Georgetown would answer almost immediately with a solid jumper from junior point-guard Tayor Meyners, but a 3-point shot at the top of key from Kaley O’neal was the response by La Vega, and it set the tone the rest of the way as the Lady Pirates would hold to their lead.

The end of the first quarter saw a tightly contested match-up as Georgetown trailed by just three points, 14-11. The scenario of being just shy of the lead would go on to be a microcosm of the game for the Lady Eagles.

At the opening of the second quarter things did seem to get on track for Georgetown as Brooke White fought through traffic to float an impressive layup for two points, but ultimately Waco La Vega’s defensive strategy proved too difficult to overcome as Georgetown was held to only seven points the entire quarter. The lady Pirates maintained a 25-18 edge at the break.

Credit to the Lady Eagles who did claw their way back and got as close as a bucket, when Niah Williams would score down low on the block to make it a 27-25 contest in the third quarter. It was then that La Vega tightened up the defensive intensity and guard Alaysia Gude played a vital role in the swing, drawing a charge and knocking down a three-point play the old fashioned way.

When asked if there was any particular strategy used to help his team secure the win, Waco La Vega Head Coach Marcus Willis said, “I always tell them those first four minutes are crucial, we cannot bend, we cannot break….our defense is so tenacious we didn't allow them to score too many buckets and that kept us in the game”.

His strategy was on full display the entire contest, but most notably in the third period as Alaysia Gude’s style of play was able to force two turnovers and served as an offensive catalyst for the lady Pirates. As a team, La Vega’s defensive tenacity hindered Georgetown forcing them into turnovers, fouls, and frustration. La Vega would build as much as an eleven-point lead in the early in the 4th quarter and would eventually earn the win by a margin of ten points. With the win, Waco La Vega moves to an impressive overall record of 9-2 on the season.