Wylie senior Isaiah Shurn, pictured in previous action, scored 19 points in the Pirates’ 61-32 win over Garland on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Photo by Oladipo Awowale / C&S Media
By David Wolman
When Garland had cut what had been a 14-point halftime lead for the Wylie girls basketball team to six at the end of the third quarter, Lady Pirates head coach Jessica Linson was eager to see how her team would respond.
With a roster that has eight underclassmen, there could have been reason for concern. But the one thing that impressed Linson the most of her team’s response in the fourth quarter was their composure. Wylie never lost their focus in a 46-39 win on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Later that night, the Wylie boys remained unbeaten in District 9-6A following a dominant 61-32 triumph over the Owls.
“I thought they showed maturity,” Linson said. “I had four timeouts that I could have used but I chose not to use them. We have been talking all year about teams making runs and how to respond to it. We never gave the lead up, which was huge for us. We have struggled with getting leads and losing them. This was the first time that they held on to it, which is a huge sign of maturity when your group is young.”
It was all Wylie (8-8 overall, 5-1 District 9-6A) in the early-going.
The Lady Pirates delivered the first punch in the form of a 20-7 first-quarter run. That advantage grew to 29-15 at halftime.
“We came out with intensity and had great pressure the entire first quarter,” Linson said. “We were also very active and did a good job getting our hands on a lot of balls. If we were not able to get a steal, we caused them to speed up which kept them out of rhythm.”
Balanced scoring paved the way for Wylie’s offensive attack.
Sophomore Shamaya Johnson poured in a team-high 14 points. Sophomore Ronelyse Hartfield also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points. Senior Micha Lovelace contributed eight points, while seniors Taylor McAfee and Zamora Parker had six each.
“They are finding ways to score,” Linson said. “They are individually doing positive things for us. It could be the offense boards, creating for others, being aggressive, or just doing the little things.”
Mallory’s return energizes Pirates
The reining District 9-6A MVP is back.
Senior Noah Mallory made an impact in his return after missing the first 16 games of the season as he recovered from a torn meniscus, scoring 14 points in a dominant 29-point win for the Pirates over the Owls.
A close game after one quarter, Wylie assumed control in the second quarter with a 22-6 run, turning a 14-8 lead after one quarter into a 36-14 halftime lead. The Pirates further distanced themselves from the Owls in the third quarter, using a 20-4 spurt to take a 56-18 lead into the fourth quarter.
Senior Isaiah Shurn, fresh off a 23-point performance in a 70-55 win over Rowlett on Friday, Dec. 13, put up 19 points in the Pirates’ win against the Owls. Senior Tosin Aiyejuto contributed 10 points, while fellow senior TJ Leonard added nine points for Wylie (10-7, 4-0).
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