High School Hoops Recap: Newberry defeats Oak Hall in girls basketball
BY CLIFF TUMETEL
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Newberry girls basketball team defeated Oak Hall, 41-35, at the Oxborough Gymnasium on Friday. The Panthers secured the win and improved their record to 10-3.
First Half
As the first quarter began, the Panthers wasted no time in attacking the Eagles defense.
Newberry’s Brandy Whitfield and Sarah Beaulieu each scored 4 points in the first and led their team to end the quarter with a 10-6 lead.
In the second quarter, the Eagles offense began to click, and points from Bella Dyrkolbotn, Mary Pizzurro, and Sri Lanka Richardson combined for 10 points, allowing Oak Hall to get some momentum going, but Newberry responded to keep the lead.
At the half, the Panthers were up 21-16.
Panthers’ Unrelenting Defense
Once the third began, the two teams traded buckets, with Oak Hall’s Dyrkolbotn scoring on the inside and Newberry’s Whitfield grabbing a steal that led to a layup.
After that, the Panthers defense began to cage up on the Eagles; at one point in the game, Beaulieu was able to get back-to-back steals and score on one of them in that sequence.
The Eagles offense went ice cold, scoring only two points in the third, and the Panthers continued to build on the lead, ending the third quarter up 29-18.
Fourth Quarter Action
It looked like Newberry had the game all but wrapped up, but Oak Hall gathered themselves for one last run, as Dyrkolbotn scored 8 points and Leila Sims got going in the fourth, racking up 7 points
The Panthers were able to respond back as Jada Brown nailed a three, and the duo of Whitfield and Beaulieu put the game away for good.
Words from Newberry’s head coach: Dameon Hughes
Newberry head coach Dameon Hughes praised his team for how hard they fought and came together to get the win.
“Our defense played well tonight; we were kind of shaky because we had a game last night. I think my girls were a little tired, so we kind of started slow,” Hughes said. “As the game progressed, we got better.”
Believe it or not, the theme for his team is all about defense, and for coach Hughes and his staff, it’s something they always preach both in games and practice.
“I told them, ‘Listen, I’d rather be a defensive team than an offensive team because sometimes on defense you can get a steal and score; that’s offense,’” said Hughes.
He said he’s happy to get the win against a team like Oak Hall.
What’s Next?
Newberry will look to add another win as they face off against P.K. Yonge at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Oak Hall will be looking to bounce back as they face Saint Francis at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday as well.