A-Team Girls Game:
With 5’, 9 1/2" point guard Emily “Emmy” Cunningham leading the way, Italy’s Junior High A-Team Lady Gladiators (7-2) jumped to an 8-0 advantage with Lizzy Garcia leading Italy’s defensive efforts to start the contest. Cunningham pushes the ball, with her eyes looking up the court, and finds Charisma Anderson open who uses the glass to make the score 10-1.

Cunningham then passes to an open Garcia who banks it in from the left wing, 12-1 Italy. Marlin answers with a 3-pointer in hopes of keeping pace. Cunningham deflects a Lady Bulldog pass that is secured by Oleshia Anderson who turns and scores from a few feet away. O. Anderson makes the score14-4 in favor of the Lady Gladiators with 1:00 left to play in the first-quarter. With Italy relentless on the boards, O. Anderson comes down with an offensive rebound and scores the put back. Italy leads 16-4 after the first-quarter as a fast-break layup attempt by Marlin rims off at the buzzer.

Cunningham strikes first with a fast-break layup to begin the second-quarter, 18-4 Italy. A few plays later, Vanessa Cantu inbounds to Cunningham who makes the score 20-4 with 4:21 to play in the quarter. A Cunningham block at the top of the lane sets up another Italy A-Team fast-break with Cunningham dishing to Garcia who is fouled shooting. Garcia splits the pair of freebies to give Italy a 21-4 separation from Marlin.

Jenna Holden was in the right place at the right time to rebound a miss and then to score the put back, increasing Italy’s lead 23-4. The Lady Bulldogs respond with a jumper from the free-throw line to shrink the deficit 23-6, 2:30 remaining in the third.

After Marlin misses a pair of free-throws, Cunningham drives along the left baseline and scores to continue building on Italy’s 25-6 lead. Another Cunningham block results in a Cunningham layup at the other end of the floor, 27-6. Cunningham blocks Marlin’s buzzer-beating attempt with Cantu securing the ball to end the the first half of play.

The third-quarter begins with Cunningham driving into the lane and then pulling up for a 7-foot jumper away from the rim, 29-6 Italy. Cunningham dishes to O. Anderson at the top of the zone who turns and swishes the jump shot, 31-6 Italy with 2:07 on the clock.

Marlin counters to make the score 31-8 but O. Anderson passes to teammate C. Anderson for the score to put Italy up 33-8. Marlin comes up empty from the foul line, once again. The quarter ends in a flurry but neither side scores when Marlin’s layup to beat the buzzer rolls off the rim.

The fourth-quarter begins with Marlin inbounding to the top of the key and knocking down a 3-point shot to make the score 33-11. T’Keyah Pace made the next basket for Italy to push Italy’s advantage to 35-11. Cunningham drives and passes to O. Anderson who makes the shot, 37-11 Italy. The game ends with Garcia out on the left wing dropping in her patented bank shot to complete the scoring, 39-11, as Italy’s A-Team JH girls leave no doubt against Marlin.

B-Team Girls Game:
The Marlin B-Team Lady Bulldogs were led 18-0 nothing at halftime but only led by 17-points before the start of the third thanks to Italy’s Paige Cunningham who knocked down the second shot of a two-shot technical foul to put Italy’s B-Team Lady Gladiators on the board. After the shot banked, swirled the rim and then banked again before dropping in, Cunningham raised her arms in triumph as the crowd cheered the dramatic point.

“I was just happy I scored a point,” Cunningham stated after the contest as she sat at the top of the bleachers, which must have felt like standing on top of the world at that moment.

Teammate Caroline Pittman would later let a 3-point attempt fly but the try landed shy of the rim. Cunningham, brimming with confidence, would try two more shots in the third-quarter, including a three-ball from the right corner, but neither shot found the target. Determined, Jill Varner, Maegan Connor and their teammates slowed down Marlin’s offensive attack holding the Lady Bulldogs to a mere 9-points in the third and fourth-quarters, half of Marlin’s first half output.

After the final buzzer sounded, Marlin had won the game 27-1 but Cunningham had already stolen the show with her high arcing free shot that foiled Marlin’s shutout victory aspirations. Cunningham was Italy’s leading scorer with 1-point giving Italy’s B-Team Lady Gladiators something to build on going into their next game!

Italy JH Girls B-Team Scoring:

Go Italy!