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The Thomson Lady Dogs defeated the Lady Dogs of Harlem 47-23 in an away game Friday.
Thomson scored first in the game, and never surrendered the lead. After two periods of play, Thomson led, 16-6.
Lackadaisical play, however, led head coach Michael Williams to have the team run laps during half-time.
“That was due to a lack of focus,” Williams said after the game.
“We just weren’t executing like we were supposed to. I noticed it first during warm-ups, and then we weren’t reacting like we should have.”
The Thomson team seemed to regain that focus in the third period, racking up 13 points for the period while holding Harlem to only 4.
The Lady Dogs continued to build on their lead in the fourth period despite numerous substitutions, and the score stood at 47-23 at the final buzzer.
A brief altercation between the Thomson and Harlem players in the fourth period resulted in three THS players being ejected from the game, and two of those being removed from the team.
“I didn’t see what caused it,” Williams said after the game. “I just saw our players reacting to it. I had noticed that it was getting pretty physical out there, and had mentioned it to the referees, but that’s still no excuse for what happened. And the girls that were ejected or taken off the team, well, that’s just the rules. They have to play by the rules.”
Jaylan Howard was the leading scorer for Thomson with 15 points, nine of those off three successful three-point shots.
“It feels good,” Howard said after the game. “Just being in the ninth grade and on the varsity team is great, but to be the leading scorer for the game, that really feels great.”
Jadah Lawson and Brittany Reid each had 9 points, Shanequa Hudson and Ashleigh Burnett had 4, and Nekia McNair, Ke’Onda Bradshaw and Alesheia Johnson had 2.
The Lady Dogs’ record stands at 12-7, and they’re in second place in their region. They played Westside at home Tuesday. They are home Friday vs. Grovetown. Game time is 6 p.m. The girls close their regular season Tuesday at Grovetown at 5 p.m.
