Freshman guard Marion Walker Coleman finds an opening just outside the paint.
The Richard Winn Lady Eagles are soaring toward yet another impressive season with a perfect 8-0 record to date. Over the past six days the team has scored 162 points to their opponents’ combined 58 points. The latest victims of the Eagles’ red-hot momentum include non-region teams Laurens Academy, Thomas Sumter Academy and Westminster Catawba School.
“Our team is off to a pretty good start, but there is lots of room for improvement,” said head coach Jason Haltiwanger. “I am proud of how some of our younger girls are stepping up and giving us some good minutes. The word around SCISA and even out around town was that our girls’ team would be down after Alex (Maass) graduated, but so far our team is proving these people wrong. I think our success so far this season is due to having many different weapons and more depth from our bench.”
On Dec. 4, Haltiwanger’s varsity girls’ team hosted and toasted the Laurens Academy Lady Crusaders by the score of 67-11. In fact, the Lady Eagle defense and full-court press stymied the visitors from Laurens and held off any Crusader scoring until late in the second quarter.
Junior point guard Carson Justice led all scorers with 19 points, followed by eighth-grader Alyssa Atkerson’s 11 points and sophomore Emily Brigman’s 10. Nine of the 10 team members recorded points in the score book. Sophomore Jessie Stidham and freshman Jaycie Johnson rebounded well and played strong under the basket while racking up nine and six points, respectively. Cassidy Branham and Megan Simpson added four points apiece. Anna Cooke and Marion Walker Coleman posted a two-point basket each to round out the team’s total of 67. Laurens guard Taylor Williamson was her team’s high scorer with six points.
The Lady Eagles entertained the Lady Generals of Thomas Sumter Academy on Dec. 7 at RWA’s home nest. That evening the RWA team chalked up their seventh victory in as many outings, 42-25. This time Stidham led her teammates in scoring as she racked up 12 points over the four quarters of play. Johnson also had double digits with 10 and Justice followed with nine. Bailey Taylor added four, Brigman contributed three and Coleman and Atkerson knocked down a basket apiece. The Lady Generals were led by Emily Burress with six points.
Following two home games, the Lady Eagle team traveled to Rock Hill on Monday for a re-match against the Lady Indians of Westminster Catawba. Once again the Lady Eagles proved themselves to be the superior team as they defeated the Lady Indians for the second time in the early season, this time by a 31-point margin, 53-22. The Lady Eagles had three players to score in double digits. Stidham was once again on top of her game, scoring 13 points. Atkerson added 11 and Brigman chipped in 10. Johnson put up nine points, Justice had eight and Branham finished out the total with two points.
The Eagle varsity teams played at home against the Cavaliers of Calhoun Academy on Tuesday of this week and will host Newberry Academy Eagles tonight. The RWA Middle School teams will begin the action on Friday afternoon with the Middle School girls’ game set to tip off at 4 p.m. The varsity girls’ game will begin following the Middle School boys’ game at approximately 6:30 p.m.
