Italy coaches, Tina Richards, Holley Bradley, Melissa Fullmer and Morgan Mathews were all in the mode to win as they teamed with their Junior High players to meet the challenge of defending the dome against visiting Mildred.

Italy’s 8th grade girls squad was set to put the finishing touches on an outstanding season by wrapping up one last win over the Eagles.

Led by eight first-period points from Emily Cunningham, who finished with 18-points in all, Italy had established a 14-0 advantage to end the opening period. Charisma Anderson accounted for 4-points and Jenna Holden added 2-points during the first period as well.

With Annie Perry, Holden and Sydney Weeks helping to pull in rebounds and make a wall on defense, Anderson put in 5-points more in the second to help give Italy a 21-4 lead to end the half. T’Keya Pace’s quickness and defensive prowess added a new dimension to Italy’s roster while Noeli Garcia put her school mascot job on hold to fight for a loose ball. Brycelen Richards also got on the board with a basket before intermission.

Richards put in 4-points in the second and 6-points more, including a perfect 2-of-2 from the line, while Cunningham stepped it up on defense to generate offense. Cunningham also scored 4-points in the second and 6-points in the fourth to help Italy’s girls finish their season with a 43-21 victory over Mildred. Yes, the future looks bright indeed for the Lady Gladiators!

Italy’s 8th Grade Girls — Game Roster/Scoring:

7th Grade Action:

Despite 4-points from Italy’s Hannah Haight who was aggressive on both sides of the court, Mildred got the win, 33-10, but not before several Italy’s players left their mark on the game and on the season.

Point guard, Karson Holley reached another level Thursday night with Mildred’s defense doing everything they could to stop her. The 7th grader remained calm, cool and collected and willed Italy up and down the floor with her dribble and accurate passing. Holley also scored a bucket in the fourth-period.

Taylor Boyd also gave a standout performance proving she can split double teams with her dribble, relentlessly attack the lane and put up good shots. Boyd was also a beast on defense.

Not to be out done was Madison Galvan who also found another gear in her game against Mildred. The aggressive Galvan created turnovers, dribbled toward the hoop and never hesitated to take the shot.

Furthermore, Tatum Adams is a game changer. As soon as she entered the game, Italy’s chances dramatically increased. Adams, who gives 110% every play, also swished the shot of the night from the right corner as she turned into a lobbing shot that fell clean thru.

Reagan Jones had an excellent game inside and drew a shooting foul in the third-period. Also catching Mildred off-guard was the effort by Karla Perez, who was not afraid to launch the deep ball. Cassidy Gage banked in a jump shot during the third and has shown flashes of being a future star throughout the season.

Emily Guzman, Lana Beets and Caitlin Oldfield provided athletic ability to Italy’s lineup with Oldfield taking a shot in the second-half after well executed ball fake. Virginia Stephens was confident enough to shoot from the outside while obviously playing with the philosophy, “If you don’t shoot, you can’t win.”

Who else? Can’t really think of anyone…that stood out, “Oh yeah, Karley Nelson!” Just teasing you, “Kar-Kar.” Actually, Nelson gave another memorable performance to wrap up the season and even earned a trip to the line to attempt a pair of free-throws. A fierce and reliable ball handler, Nelson is also know for taking amazing selfies!

Italy’s 7th Grade Girls — Game Roster/Scoring:

Great Season, Girls!