CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Maplewood Lady Panthers traveled to Kirkwood High School for a matchup with the Cobras for the inaugural Wyatt Johnson-Hyundai Cobras Christmas Classic on Friday. Kirkwood controlled the game and never trailed, pulling away in the second half for a 56-27 win.
The Cobras’ ball pressure gave fits to the Eagles, causing several turnovers early. Combine that with Kirkwood’s aggressive offensive rebounding, and the game was played at Kirkwood’s pace. Kirkwood couldn’t take advantage of all their shot opportunities, but still led 22-12 at the half.
The second half is where the Cobras took over, outscoring the Eagles 19-6 in the third quarter, led by six points each from forward Davia Collins and Guard Jessica Mayes.
Kirkwood head coach Tenisha Lockridge says that energy and effort has been a calling card for this squad up to this point in the season.
“We’ve been preaching those two things to our girls and they showed it tonight, especially in the second half,” said Lockridge. “We’ve got great defenders on our team, and that side of the court is what’s going to win us games. Getting second chance opportunities is huge, and we stress that in practice and want to emphasize that in our games.”
The fourth quarter was cruise control for the Cobras, as the depth of Kirkwood started to show. Nine Cobras scored in the contest, led by 17 from Collins and eight from guard Channing Jones.
“It’s always good to be able to go deep in our bench, especially when we get in foul trouble,” said Lockridge. “We don’t want to miss a beat when we go from our starters to our bench. I hope that we can continue on this positive trajectory, and make sure they don’t sit around all Christmas break.”
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