Friday night’s matchup with Blacksburg was big for two reasons for Landrum.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Wildcats gave Landrum a region loss. In two weeks, the Lady Cardinals will play the only other team that has beaten them in region – St. Joseph’s.
A win against Blacksburg on Friday night would put the Lady Cardinals and the Lady Wildcats in a tie for second place. That was enough motivation for Landrum as they went on to win this one 51-49.
The win keeps them alive in the Region II-1A championship race.
Landrum’s big three controlled the game on the offensive side of the ball.
Taylor Jenkins led the charge with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Point guard Macy Atkins had 11 points and five steals. Lauren Pitts scored 12 points to lead the Lady Cardinals in scoring.
“Coming out and winning this game makes our confidence go up,” Pitts said. “It definitely gives us a boost.”
The game was huge for Landrum’s big picture.
The win moves the Lady Cardinals into a tie for second place in Region II-1A behind St. Joseph’s.
The Cardinals will play St. Joseph’s in two weeks and the region title could be on the line.
“(This win) gives us one step closer to our team goal,” head coach Deon Brice said. “We still have to take care of business and take it one day at a time.”
Landrum went into the fourth quarter with a 42-34 lead, but the Lady Wildcats made a push. Blacksburg went on a 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
Pitts responded with four straight points. With 1:06 left in the game, Blacksburg’s Mikala Ruffin hit two free throws to bring the Lady Wildcats to within one point at 48-47.
Seconds later, Pitts responded again.
The sharp-shooting guard threw the ball down court after an inbound pass and connected with Skylar Henderson for an easy layup.
Blacksburg’s Jasmine Dameron responded with a drive and two free throws.
On the other end, Macy Atkins hit the backend of two free throws to give Landrum a 51-49 lead.
The Lady Wildcats were still alive. With 4.8 seconds left, the Lady Wildcats got a shot off, but Atkins hauled in the rebound at the buzzer.
Dameron led all scorers with 25. Ruffin added 12 points for Blacksburg.