Lady Gladiators dominate Venus

Karen Mathiowetz Posted December 21, 2014 3:00pm Lady Gladiator Basketball

Image: Emmy Cunningham(2) had a game high 20-points to help the Italy Lady Gladiators dominate the visiting Venus Lady Bulldogs 65-23. — Emmy Cunningham(2) had a game high 20-points to help the Italy Lady Gladiators dominate the visiting Venus Lady Bulldogs 65-23. (Barry Byers)

Italy — The Lady Gladiators controlled the Lady Bulldogs of Venus in the dome Tuesday night from the first play of the game. Italy scored first and never relinquished the lead. Emmy Cunningham scored 11 of her 20 high points in the 1st quarter to give Italy a 24-6 advantage going into the second quarter.

Strong defense by Lillie Perry, K’Breona Davis, Kortnei Johnson and Cunningham held Venus to only 2 points in the 2nd quarter. The half ended with Italy on top 36-8.

The second quarter proved to be more of the same with Italy dominating on both sides of the ball. The Lady Gladiators outscored the Lady Bulldogs 12-7 in the 3rd quarter and 17-8 in the final period. When the final buzzer sounded Italy added another one to the win column by beating Venus 65-23.

Scoring for Italy:

Emmy Cunningham 20
Kortnei Johnson 12
Tara Wallis 12
Alex Minton 7
Brycelen Richards 5
T’Keyah Pace 2
Taleyia Wilson 2
Lillie Perry 2
Cory Chance 2
K’Breona Davis 1

Scoring for Venus:

Gauldock 9
Quintana 7
Sulak 4
Smith 2
Buck 1

Lady Gladiator Cory Chance(33) tears down an offensive rebound against Venus. (Barry Byers)

Italy’s Cory Chance(33) put in a bucket for the Lady Gladiator cause against Venus. (Barry Byers)

Italy senior Kortnei Johnson(3) attacks Venus along the baseline. (Barry Byers)

Emmy Cunningham(2) knocks down a 3-pointer from the top of the key for Italy. (Barry Byers)

Tara Wallis(4) swishes a 3-pointer from the beyond the arc for the Lady Gladiators. Wallis finished with 12-points. (Barry Byers)

Confident freshman, Emmy Cunningham(2) dribbles the ball between her legs automatically. (Barry Byers)

Emmy Cunningham(2) drops in a jumper with a hand in her face. (Barry Byers)

Italy freshman T’Keyah Pace(5) plays tight defense on the ball against the Venus point guard. (Barry Byers)

Alex Minton(12) pushes the ball up the court for the Lady Gladiators. (Barry Byers)

Italy’s Alex Minton(12) scores in the lane for two of her 7-points against Venus. (Barry Byers)

Italy’s offense passes the ball around as Tara Wallis(4) passes to Taleyia Wilson(22) who passes to Lillie Perry(24). (Barry Byers)

Tara Wallis(4) knocks down a pair of technical foul shots charged to Venus which got Italy to the half-century mark on the scoreboard. (Barry Byers)

Setting a strong screen for teammate Tara Wallis(4) is Lillie Perry(24). (Barry Byers)

Lady Gladiator K’Breona Davis(10) surveys the scene before making a pass on offense. (Barry Byers)

Kortnei Johnson(3) is stoic at the free-throw line for Italy. (Barry Byers)

Annie Perry(25) prepares to check in for the Lady Gladiators. (Barry Byers)

It was all Lady Gladiators against Venus as Kortnei Johnson(3) drives the floor for two of her 12-points. Teammates Lillie Perry(24) and Taleyia Wilson(22) hustle into rebounding position. Italy has a powerful combination of skill, strength, speed and confidence. WE BELIEVE IN OUR LADIES!!! (Barry Byers)