Winter Storm Landon delayed the District 1-5A tournament an extra day, but the freezing weather couldn’t cool off the Pillow Academy girls basketball team in Friday’s postseason opener.
The Lady Mustangs showed no signs of rust in their first game since Jan. 25, riding a dominant first quarter to a 63-20 blowout of Starkville Academy in the semifinals.
All five Pillow starters scored in the first quarter, part of a balanced scoring effort that produced a 29-3 lead after the opening frame. The Lady Mustangs built a 47-10 lead at halftime to trigger a running clock for the second half.
“We’ve had two weeks of hard practice and it really showed how much we developed through those two weeks of not having a game,” said senior Madeline Mattox, who knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers and finished with 12 points — all in the first half. “I think it really showed in the first half. I think our defense has gotten a whole lot better and our offense is clicking right now.”
Veteran head coach Durwin Carpenter made sure his squad’s 10-day break from game action was more of a bootcamp than a break.
“We had to do defensive slides, blocking out drills,” Mattox said. “(Carpenter’s) focus is blocking out so we get all the rebounds.”
Senior guard Sarah Presley Howard posted a game-high 12 points and tallied four steals for Pillow (25-4). Sophomore forward Avery Howard had 11 while her twin sister, Elise, added six points, five boards and four steals. Georgia Caroline Self also chipped in four points and two steals.
The top-seeded Lady Mustangs take on Bayou Academy on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. for the district title. The Lady Colts beat Heritage Academy in the other District 1-5A semifinal on Friday.
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com.
