Lafayette Girls rebound with win over Grenada, but Linzy looks for more
Published 2:24 pm Wednesday, January 9, 2019
The Lafayette Girls basketball team looked every bit like a 15-win team Tuesday night against conference foe Grenada.
They parlayed a disruptive defense that lived in between the passing lanes into a fast-paced offense, which led to three players having double figure scoring nights, as they won 58-32.
But, the win came on the heels of a two-game skid that saw the Commodores lose by one point each to both Biloxi and Choctaw Central, head coach Shayne Linzy wasn’t impressed.
Make no mistake, he’ll take the win, however he said his team looked sluggish Tuesday, which may be the result of losing those two games by a razor-thin margin.
“We got to put the last game behind us and move forward,” Linzy said. “Tonight, I think it took us a while to really get going.”
While the Commodores might have benefit from a struggling opponent with 3-9 Grenada, they got back on track with a win. Although, Lafayette suffered from a few of its own struggles as well.
After taking a 30-16 lead into halftime, the Commodores struggled to open the second with a few sloppy passes and turnovers that led to two quick Grenada baskets.
But, big second halves from Mariah Holland and Kimaya Dixon ended any notion of a comeback, as the Chargers never got within 10 points of Lafayette.
“They slowed us down a little bit with the zone offense and made us work a little bit more for it,” Linzy said. “We’re getting better and there’s some odds and ends that we’ve got to tie up, shore up, and make a little bit better.”
Dixon led the way with 20 points, shooting 9 of 14 from the floor in one of her first games back on the floor.
“I’ve been waiting for this night,” Linzy said. “Saturday was her first game from missing from illness and she’s getting back into her rhythm.”
Dixon and Holland, along with Azariah Buford, all finished with double figures in scoring, leading the way offensively for the Commodores. That type of performance is one that Linzy has come to expect.
However, he’s still looking for some scoring help for the trio.
“Anyone of those three can go off at any time. For us to be successful, they need to score,” he said. “We’re still waiting for another girl, other two girls, three girls that will give us a little more balance with a little more outside shooting.”
One of the outside shooting options the Commodores could have is guard Molly Jones. She took two 3-pointers against Grenada and scored five points, showing she has the confidence to take an open shot if she has one.
Although Linzy has a wish for an outside shooter, he also wants to see more from his team as the Commodores progress into the second half of their season.
“Were doing enough to win, or to battle the other team. We’ve yet to just let lose and play,” Linzy said. “We’re working towards that, whether or not we want to go for it all or do enough. That’s going to be the challenge the rest of this week, and the rest of this season really.”