Lady Trojans win at Strong

Strong coach Gerrald Koonce wondered how his Lady Bulldogs would react when they lost a game. Parkers Chapel made sure he would get his answer, perhaps even sooner than he wanted it.
The Lady Trojans used an 18-0 run in the second quarter to pull away, handing the two-time defending state champions a 52-40 defeat.
Strong’s loss ended a 44-game win streak against Class 2A opponents. The Lady Bulldogs hadn’t lose a home game or a conference game in two years.
The win improved Parkers Chapel to 6-0. Strong was playing its first game of the season.
“They looked like they had played five games and we looked like we had played none,” said Koonce. “We have a lot of room to improve and I think we will. I don’t think they like losing. They’re not happy.”
In the other lockerroom, the Lady Trojans were quite pleased as they were still chanting and singing when the senior boys’ game tipped off.
“It’s a big win,” said Parkers Chapel coach Mark Young. “It’s against a quality team with quality players at their gym. It’s the first conference game. It’s a big win for our program. I think any time you win at Strong, it’s a quality win.”
The Lady Trojans played their best game of the season as their perimeter shooting finally began to find its mark.
Parkers Chapel never trailed, although it took nearly four minutes for either team to score. Dana Gray’s 3-pointer broke the seal at the 4:27 mark of the opening quarter. The Lady Trojans went on to take an 11-2 lead early in the second.
Ra’Lishia Gatson came off the bench to spark the Lady Bulldogs with back-to-back buckets. Anastacia Dismuke’s basket cut the deficit to 11-9 with 4:33 left in the second quarter.
But, Koonce’s worst fears were realized when the Lady Trojans, who hadn’t shot the ball well earlier in the season, went on a 3-point binge. Destiny Harper drained a 3-pointer before Hope Phillips knocked one down from long distance. After Harper hit two free throws, Phillips banged home another 3-pointer. D’Atra Harper hit two from the line before Destiny Harper’s 3-pointer at the buzzer pushed the lead to 27-9 at the half.
D’Atra Harper scored to start the third to complete the 18-0 run, which pushed the lead to 29-9.
Parkers Chapel’s lead hovered around 20 points for much of the second half until Strong’s late surge, which cut the final margin to 12.
“Defense was the key, no doubt about it,” said Young. “Our ability to put pressure on them and force some early turnovers forced them to play faster than what they wanted. Our defensive effort was extremely good tonight.”
The Lady Trojans showed a balanced attack, led by Destiny Harper’s 16 points. D’Atra Harper scored 15, hitting 9 of 16 from the free throw line. Gray had 11 points with Phillips hitting the two 3-pointers.
Dismuke led Strong with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Breuna Dixon and Gatson each scored eight.