Varsity Girls – The Italy Lady Gladiators collide with the Wortham Lady Bulldogs in the 1st round of the 2008 Kiwanis Classic Basketball Tournament. After controlling the tip, Wortham built a 5-0 lead. At the 6:15 mark, Italy’s #5 Becca DeMoss fed the ball to #40 Jimesha Reed down low on the block for a score to make it 5-2. Italy’s #22 Megan Richards steals the ball, but Italy fails to convert at the 6:08 mark.

Wortham’s #3 drives to the bucket, scores and gets fouled but misses the free throw, and the score is 7-2. Later Wortham is leading 10-2 at the 3:57 mark, when #32 Shay Fleming scores to make it 10-4. Italy forces back-to-back turnovers but once again fails to convert them into any points. Wortham takes advantage and builds a 13-4 lead. In response, DeMoss aggressively weaves her way through traffic and finds Italy’s #10 Kyonne Birdsong for an easy lay in to make it 13-6. Wortham adds 2-points but Italy’s #3 Kaitlyn Rossa scores under the goal with 1:10 left in the first period.

With the score 15 to 8 DeMoss banks in a 3-pointer to make it 15-11 with 1 minute left, Wortham’s #22 gets fouled in the lane and hits 1 out of 2 shots making the score 15-13 with :29 left. Italy’s Richards steals the ball and tries to pass ahead to Rossa but Wortham deflects the ball out-of-bounds. Italy’s DeMoss receives the inbound pass and feeds Fleming who hits a turn around jumper from the right block. The first period comes to an end with Wortham leading 16-15.

Any momentum the Lady Gladiators had gathered in the first period would soon melt away as Wortham showed their worth in building a 26-15 lead with 3:00 left in the period. DeMoss tries to stop the bleeding as she drives toward the basket and gets fouled and connects on 1 out of 2 free throws making the score 26-16. Wortham scores at the 2:30 mark to make the score 28-16. With 1:51 left in the period, DeMoss steals and pushes the ball to Rossa who draws a foul trying to score. Rossa hits both free throws to make the score 28-18. Wortham’s #22 scores on a drive down the left baseline to make it 30-18. Then a Wortham player steals and makes the score 32-18 with 1:12 remaining in the first half. DeMoss takes the ball and passes to Flemming who passes ahead to Rossa for a quick score making it 32-20 with 1:59 left. Wortham finishes strong scoring the last 6 points of the period taking a 38-20 halftime lead over the Lady Gladiators.

Two minutes passed in the 3rd period with Wortham being the first to score. The rest of the period was back and forth but Wortham outscored Italy 10-points to 9, taking a 48-29 lead into the 4th period.

To start the 4th, DeMoss quickly drives to the basket but gets fouled. DeMoss drops in both free throws making the score 48-31 at the 7:51 mark. After that it was all Wortham as they erased any hope the Lady Gladiators might have had of mounting a comeback. In a matter-of-fact fashion, Wortham won their first round game 61-31 over the Lady Gladiators.

Italy’s Player of the Game: #5 Becca DeMoss
Impact Player: #3 Kaitlyn Rossa

Varsity Boys – In the Italy Gladiators’ first round game against Wortham, the score was surprisingly close at the end of the 1st period. Italy Head Coach, Kyle Holley, began the game with a new line-up earning some valuable experience for his squad as a whole. After some friendly sparring, Italy took a 15-14 lead heading into the next period.

Quickly in the 2nd period Wortham took a 16-15 lead. Italy’s #33 Darrin Moore countered with a 3-pointer to regain the lead for Italy 18-16 at the 7:30 mark. On Italy’s next possession, Italy’s Moore did it again draining another 3-pointer increasing Italy’s advantage 21-16 at the 7:08 mark. Italy’s Moore followed that by stealing the ball and puts in a left handed lay up making the score 23-16 with 6:40 left in the 2nd period. Both teams trade one free shot each before Wortham’s #23 scored to make it 24-19. Wortham’s #23 picks up a loose ball and scores drawing the foul, after hitting the free throw the score is 24-22. After several shot attempts by Wortham are off the mark, Italy’s #22 Heath Clemons passes ahead to Italy’s Moore for a 26-22 lead with 3:00 left in the half.

Italy’s #5 Jasenio Anderson bounces a back door pass to Clemons to make the score 28-22. The next trip down Clemons misses a 3-point attempt but saves the ball from going out-of-bounds and taps it to Italy’s Moore for 2 points, increasing the Italy advantage 30-22 with 2:10 left. Wortham manages to tighten the score 30-25 with a 1:12 left. Italy’s J. Anderson then steals the ball and passes ahead to Italy’s Moore who gets fouled at the end of the fast break. Moore hits both free throws and the score is 32-25 with :41 left. With :10 left, Italy J. Anderson passes over to Moore who hits yet another 3-pointer to make it 35-25. Wortham turns the ball over on the inbound, and Italy’s J. Anderson puts in a left handed layup, giving Italy a 37-25 lead at the break.

Wortham would be outscored by Italy 25-points to 9 in the 3rd period. Italy’s J. Anderson led the way for Italy scoring 10-points in the period including a 3-pointer. Italy’s #4 Diamond Rodgers added a ferocious block to help give the Gladiators a 60-34 advantage going to the 4th period.

The Gladiators coasted throughout the final period trading baskets with Wortham. The period was highlighted by a slick, across the lane, jump stop and pop by Italy’s Clemons. Both squads would score 16-points each in the period with Italy winning their first round game 76-50 over Wortham.

The Italy Gladiators will play Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. returning to the Navarro College campus. A 2nd round win will put them in their 3rd straight Tournament Championship game.

Italy’s Player of the Game: #11 Jasenio Anderson
Impact Player: #33 Darrin Moore
6th Man: #3 Oscar Gonzalez