Italy — After falling to the Dallas Gateway Lady Gators earlier in district play, the Italy Lady Gladiators completely dominated the rematch after jumping out to a 16-0 advantage to start the game. Lady Gladiator head coach Melissa Fullmer and assistant coach Tina Richards had their ladies ready for this one.

Everything went Italy’s way—rebounding, being the first to the loose balls, shot selection—it was all favoring Italy. Gateway responded with a 3-pointer, hoping to turn the tide but the Lady Gladiators continued to fire on all cylinders and extended their lead to 30-3, and then led 32-4 at intermission. The combination of Cory Chance and Kortnei Johnson overwhelmed Gateway with both players scoring 17-points each. The duo totaled 34-points between them, just 2-points shy of Gateway’s final game total of 36-points, “Wow!”

Senior guard, Kendra Copeland was huge for Italy as well by dropping in 14-points of her own. Copeland has been a spark for the Lady Gladiators after returning from injury earlier in the season. The Lady Gladiators have now won 4 straight for a share of second place with Gateway. Triple-A Academy currently holds the district’s top spot.

Rounding the scoring for the Lady Gladiators were Jaclynn Lewis with 4-points and Tara Wallis who also put in 4-points. Lewis was also a force on the defensive boards while Wallis fearlessly scrapped for loose balls and was reliable, as always, handling the rock. K’Breona Davis was true from the stripe with a pair of free shots and Vanessa Cantu scored a bucket for the Lady Gladiator cause.

The muscle of Taleyia Wilson frustrated Gateway’s shooters throughout and was a key component to Italy’s stifling defense. The heart of Bernice Hailey and the all out effort of Halee Turner helped to keep the Lady Gators submerged. The final score saw Italy thump Gateway, 60-36.

Seniors, Kendra Copeland, Bernice Hailey and Ryisha Copeland, served as game captains for Italy.

Lady Gladiator Game Roster/Scoring:

Special thanks to book keeper Rita Garza and clock keeper Greg Richards.

That was awesome!