That was easily the tale of tape, in Saturday’s region matchup with the Lady Eagles. More importantly it was senior night for the Lady Dragons.
“Anytime you have a senior night, you never know what to expect,” Lady Dragon head coach Jason Gibson said.
The Lady Dragons came out firing on all cylinders while making a great defensive stand. The game started off with an 8-0 run with quick points from Sara Wood and senior, Skylar Evanson, who led Jefferson with 18 points. The Lady Dragons ended the first quarter with a 16-7 lead over the Lady Eagles.
The second quarter, the Eagles tried to make a move, but the Steel Curtain-like defense stopped any possibility of a comeback. Each of the Lady Dragon’s players had a handful of steals and blocked anything that came their way. Towards the end of the half, East Jackson hit a three to keep the deficit within reason—11 points — but Wilson threw up a shot from half court and it sucked everything out of the Eagles.
“It was a big momentum boost,” Gibson said.
The first few minutes of the second half showed that the Dragons had no intention of looking back.
Wilson, coming off that miraculous shot in the first half, came away with a steal in the first few seconds, which led to a quick basket. Then Evanson went off for seven points in the quarter and the team defense held the Eagles to four points.
It was a picture-perfect ending for the three seniors. In the final quarter, each senior was taken out. Rachel Goza, Brianna Whatley and Evanson received a standing ovation from the crowd after dominating the Eagles in every statistical category.
According to Gibson, these three ladies are simply a class act—they are role models on and off the court with extraordinary leadership.
“I am going to miss them,” Gibson said.
