Lady Gladiator Basketball plays explosively well against 2A Blooming Grove
Kortnei Johnson(3) wins the opening tip, almost giving the referee whiplash. (Barry Byers)
Blooming Grove — The 1A varsity Lady Gladiators, with second-year head coach Melissa Fullmer, got better and better as their game against 2A Blooming Grove moved along. The Lady Bulldogs built a huge lead early, 22-6, but an attacking Kortnei Johnson and feisty guards Tara Wallis and Kendra Copeland willed Italy back into the game before halftime 25-15.
Centers Jaclynn Lewis and Monserrat Figueroa were strong on the inside with Bernice Hailey adding her rebounding prowess to the mix. Wallis managed 8-points but it was Johnson and her 22-point output that bodes well for Italy in the long run. In reality, it was an off shooting night for Johnson who could have easily had 40-points in the game with Blooming Grove struggling to keep pace with Johnson’s sprinter’s speed and high-flying ability.
When Johnson settles down on her finishes, the Lady Gladiators will be a force. With a towering rebounder in place with Lewis, and Figueroa and Hailey adding some muscle, Italy will be off and running thru the competition. Defensively, the quicks of Kendra Copeland and Ryisha Copeland annoyed Grove’s girls who held on to win 51-39 despite a pair of three-pointers from Wallis.
Note to Italy fans, get on this band wagon now and enjoy the ride!
Italy Varsity Scoring:
| Player | Points |
| Kortnei Johnson | 22 |
| Tara Wallis | 8 |
| Bernice Hailey | 4 |
| Jaclynn Lewis | 3 |
| Monserrat Figueroa | 2 |
JV Action:
The Lady Gladiator JV and varsity basketball teams gave a strong showing at the Grove with Coach Tina Richards and her JV squad jumping out to a 17-7 lead at halftime and then ran away with the game in the second-half.
Guards Alexis Minton and Ashlyn Jacinto were on top of their game with Halee Turner and Janae Robertson proving to be unstoppable in the final minutes. Rebekah Corley added valuable minutes late with rebounding and defense while sure shot Lizzy Garcia was hot from long range. The front line of Oleshia Anderson, Turner and Robertson was just to strong for the Blooming Grove JV girls that gave up 14-points to Robertson. Minton put in 12-points to help Italy’s JV whoop ’em, 51-20.
Italy JV Scoring:
| Player | Points |
| Janae Robertson | 14 |
| Alex Minton | 12 |
| Halee Turner | 7 |
| Lizzie Garcia | 7 |
| Oleshia Anderson | 6 |
| Ashlyn Jacinto | 4 |