By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 9, 2004
JACKSON The third time was the charm for Bay High School against Wayne County.
The Lady Tigers clashed with the Lady War Eagles for the third time this season and second time in a week in the Class 4A Girls Basketball State Championship semifinals on Monday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Bay (29-6) notched a 54-43 victory over Wayne County, which won the first two meetings between the two schools.
The Lady War Eagles were held to 18-for-47 shooting in the contest, and turned the ball over 17 times.
Bay's Kendra Reed led her team's charge against Wayne County.
The junior center tallied over half of the Lady Tigers' points, finishing with a game-high 32, and she grabbed 11 rebounds to record a double-double.
While Reed tore up the scoreboard, the Lady Tigers clamped down on Lady War Eagles' leading scorer, Tassi Worsham.
The 5-foot-9 guard, who has signed with Ole Miss, was held to nine points in the game.
Bay took a 29-20 lead into halftime, and the Lady Tigers didn't let up at the start of the second half.
The Lady Tigers opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run for a 37-22 lead with 4:20 to play in the quarter.
The Lady War Eagles responded with 10 unanswered points to trim the Lady Tigers lead to 37-32, but Reed halted the comeback with a three-point play.
The Bay center was fouled while converting a layup, and sank the free throw for a 39-32 advantage with 2:31 left in the third.
The Lady Tigers ended the third on a 5-2 run for a 43-36 lead entering the final quarter.
Bay's Felicia Thomas scored 11 points for Bay, and Destiny Porter added 10.
Wayne County's Deanna Powe came off the bench to score nine points, and Lauren Pittman and Keri Jones each added six.
Reed scorched the Lady War Eagles on the inside in the game's opening 16 minutes.
The 5-foot-10 Lady Tiger tallied 19 of her team's 29 points in the game's first half.
Reed connected on 7-of-9 shots from the floor, and she went a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.
The Lady War Eagles struggled at the free-throw line in the first half, going 2-for-6. Wayne County also struggled to hold on to the ball over the first 16 minutes, turning the ball over nine times.
Worsham, who scored four of Wayne County's first six points, was limited to just one field goal in the second quarter, as Bay took a 29-20 lead into halftime.
Bay will take on the winner of today's game between Callaway and Northeast Jones at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the championship game.