Story and Photos by Adolphus Ames –
The Northampton Yellow Jackets faced off against district rivals, the Nandua Warriors, Thursday, Feb. 10.
The girls varsity basketball team hosted its final home game of the season. The Warriors won the match-up 45-24.
The Warriors marched out to a 10-5 lead early in the first quarter. In the second quarter, a free throw and layup by Courtney Smaw put the Yellow Jackets on top 12-10. The Warriors scored again to tie the game at 12. Shortly before halftime, Reghan Hintz hit a long distance 3-pointer as the buzzer expired, giving the Warriors a 15-12 halftime lead. The Warriors carried this momentum into the second half and outscored the Yellow Jackets 30-12.
Hintz led the Warriors’ offense with 20 points. Bonneish Braxton had 8 points. Brittany Dennis and Khe’Mani Sample each had 5 points.
Smaw led the Yellow Jackets’ offense with 6 points. Takaila Stratton, Ortavia Rogers, and Tyjanique Campbell each had 4 points.
Later that same evening, the Yellow Jackets and Warriors boys varsity basketball teams faced each other. The Yellow Jackets won the match-up 80-63 to capture the district title.
The Warriors opened the game with a promising start. They caught more rebounds than the Yellow Jackets and built a 4-point lead. A couple free throws by Yellow Jackets’ player Quayshawn Washington tied the score at 9 and turned the game into a back-and-forth contest. Near the end of the first quarter, Jaylen Anderson hit a 3-pointer that put the Yellow Jackets on top 19-17.
Ronrico Bugg opened the second quarter for the Yellow Jackets with a 3-pointer of his own. Momentum quickly shifted in the Yellow Jackets’ favor and the Warriors struggled to generate offense. By halftime, the Yellow Jackets led the game 44-25.
In the second half, the Warriors outscored the Yellow Jacket 38-36, but it wasn’t enough to capture the victory.
