You could feel the sense of celebration and relief in Blazer Gym Friday night. The University Heights Academy Blazers got a big-time performance from Alecia Davis and found their second wind down the stretch in the fourth quarter to beat Dawson Springs 61-50 for their first win of the season.
With only seven players on the roster for the 2021 season, stamina had been an issue for the Lady Blazers several times over the first half of the season, and it looked for a brief period of time like it might be an issue again Friday night.
With Davis penetrating down the lane and finding good looks or open teammates, UHA opened the game with a 6-0 lead. Dawson Springs would get back within one before the Lady Blazers closed the quarter with an 8-3 run to go up 14-8.
Brittyn Northington and Amaryia Bass got going in the second quarter, and Dawson Springs was quite cooperative in the turnover department. The Lady Blazers would lead by as many as nine points in the second before heading into the locker room with a 26-20 lead.
Both teams had some issues with ball security in the first 16 minutes, as they combined for 35 turnovers. The Lady Panthers were able to hang around in the first half thanks to a strong effort on the boards, as they outrebounded the Lady Blazers 26-20.
In the third quarter, it looked like the stamina issue might come into play against the Lady Blazers. With UHA up 34-27, Dawson Springs scored seven straight to tie the game up at 34-34. However, on this night, the Lady Blazers would find a second wind. UHA would not give up the lead in the game, as they closed the third on an 8-2 spurt to take a 42-36 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Led by a big effort from Abby Ward, Natalee Oldham, and Gracie Harper, Dawson Springs would close to within four at 44-40, but that would be as close as they could get over the final minutes. Alecia Davis continued to push the ball to the basket for UHA, and the Lady Blazers would convert and pull away for the eleven point win.
The Lady Blazers were led by Alecia Davis with 21 points. Brittyn Northington added 15, and Amaryia Bass also reached double figures with 13.
Abby Ward topped the scoring column for Dawson Springs with 16 points. Natalee Oldham and Gracie Harper added 10 points each.
UHA improves to 1-6 and will return to action Monday night on the road at Todd County Central.
Dawson Springs, in their first action since January 21, drops to 0-5 and will take on Lyon County Saturday afternoon in the Akridge Ace Hardware Shootout in Eddyville.
DSHS — 8 12 16 14 – 50
UHA — 12 14 16 19 – 61
Dawson Springs (0-5) – Abby Ward 16, Oldham 10, Harper 10, Spurlin 8, Drennan 4, Putman 2
UHA (1-6) – Davis 21, Northington 15, Bass 13, Daniel 6, Smith 6
