Lady Devil seniors win in last home game

Lady Devil seniors win in last home game

West Memphis girls best Lady Eagles

WM School District With her team officially eliminated from postseason play, Lady Devils head coach Sonja Tate was content just watching her team have some fun against Greene County Tech in a 60-49 win Tuesday night at Lehr Arena.

Tate sent off three of her seniors on Senior Night, but it was the one who wasn’t dressed out that elicited the most emotion.

Jatava Murray, who was killed in an auto accident last November, was represented at a mid-court ceremony by her parents David and Sally.

“That was the toughest part of the whole night,” said Tate, whose team improved to 13-10 overall and 6-7 in the 5A-East Conference. “Everybody loved Jay.”

The Lady Devils finally used a more balanced attack to thwart Greene County Tech after standing idly watching junior point guard Aryah Hazley account for over 60 percent of the team’s offense the last several games.

Hazley, indeed, was the team’s leading scorer on Tuesday night, but the Lady Devils got 15 points from bespectacled senior Kenya Freeman, who sported eye glasses on the court for the first time all year.

It marked the first game a player other than Hazley scored in double figures in the last seven games.

Freeman said the glasses made a big difference in her game.

“I wear them all day in school,” she said. “It was hurting me when I was taking them off. It seemed to help tonight.”

The West Memphis girls had no trouble dispatching Greene County Tech (1014, 3-10).

Held scoreless through the first half, Hazley heated up in the second quarter when she pumped in 14 of her game-high total of 17.

Several of Hazley’s baskets came in transition on pullup mid-range jumpers.

The outburst was part of an 8-0 run to end the first half and give the hosts a comfortable 33-15 lead at halftime. All but one of the points was scored by either Hazley or Freeman.

“Kenya played well tonight,” said Tate. “She’s been talking about how she hadn’t been able to see very well. She made the decision to wear them tonight, but I had to tape the bar back together.”

The Lady Devils kept their double-digit lead the rest of the way, leading 47-32 at the end of three quarters and then sitting on the cushion for the final eight minutes of the game.

“We wanted to send the seniors out in style tonight,” said Tate. “We came in relaxed and played really well. It was good to see Aryah bounce back in the second quarter. I thought she played very under control tonight.

That’s what we keep talking about with her.

When she slows it down just a little she’s even more dangerous than when she goes full speed.”

Sophomore Ta’Nya Burnett made it three Lady Devils in double figures as she scored 11 and Cortasia Hollins added 6.

Tech got a team-high 13 points from Tiffany Gramling, 11 from Shelby Adams and 7 from Kinley Prichard.

The Lady Devils close out their season Friday night at Mountain Home.

By Billy Woods