Lady Lions Hammer Sandiettes, 94-15

Lovelady Finishes District with 12-0 Record

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

LOVELADY – It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Two seasons ago, the Grapeland Sandiettes were playing in the UIL Class 2A State Tournament. They were the team to beat in East Texas.

The Sandiettes had made the playoffs in 12 of 13 years beginning in 2009. They had won four consecutive district championships between the 2016-17 season and the 2019-20 season. They played in the Class 2A State Championship game at the end of the 2018-2019 season and came within four points of etching their names alongside the 1988-89 Sandiettes as State Champions.

Unfortunately, graduation and several other factors in recent years have caught up with the Grapeland squad. This year the Sandiettes only won two games in district while losing 10, finishing in sixth place out of seven teams in District 20-2A.

At the other end of the spectrum stood the Lovelady Lady Lions. Lovelady is a team on the rise. The Lady Lions have dominated league play this year. They haven’t lost a game in 2022, they’re currently ranked #5 in the latest TABC Class 2A poll and they have a very legitimate shot at playing for a state title on the first weekend in March.

Given that backdrop, Lovelady welcomed Grapeland to the Lions’ Den on Tuesday evening in the district finale for both teams. To put it bluntly, it wasn’t pretty. The Lady Lions raced out to a double-digit lead in the first two minutes of the game and then proceeded to hold the Sandiettes to no more than six points in any quarter as Lovelady closed the District 20-2A season with a 94-15 victory and a perfect 12-0 mark in district competition.

It was Senior Night in Lovelady and the home team was on fire from the time they stepped on the court. Aaliyah Jones dropped in eight points for the Lady Lions while teammates Shyanne Pipkin and Lexi Price both netted seven. Chelsea Butler and Macie LaRue scored four apiece while Mihyia Davis and Shelby Pugh both had two as Lovelady raced out to an early 34-6 lead.

The Sandiettes points came from Destiny Bolden, Te’lia Jones and MaKayla Perkins with two each.

With a 28-point lead after the first eight minutes of play, Lovelady throttled down tremendously in the second period. The Lady Lions still managed to outscore the Sandiettes 12-3 in the quarter and took a 46-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Six Lovelady players – Jones, LaRue, Price, Pugh, Haley Davidson and Jada Johnson – split the 12 points equally.

For Grapeland, Madison Files had two while Jones made one of two from the line.

After the break, things didn’t get any better for the Sandiettes as Bolden was the only player to score for Grapeland and she only had one.

Davis, who had been fairly quiet for the Lady Lions in the first half, came alive in the third quarter with nine points. Pipkin added another seven to her total while Jones threw in four more. Johnson had three while LaRue, Price and Pugh all had two apiece to give Lovelady a commanding 75-10 lead after three periods were in the books.

The fourth quarter was a mere formality as Lovelady began to milk the clock. Jones had five in the period while Price went for four. Davison knocked down a three-pointer while LaRue, Pipkin and Pugh all had two apiece to close out the game with Lady Lions picking up the 94-15 win.

Morgan Terry hit a shot from behind the arc for the Sandiettes while Perkins added two points to round out the Grapeland fourth quarter scoring.

On the game, the Sandiettes were led in scoring by Makayla Perkins with four points. A trio of Grapeland players – Destiny Bolden, Te’lia Jones and Morgan Terry – all had three apiece. Madison files closed out the Sandiettes’ scoring with two.

The Lady Lions were led by five players in double figures. Aaliyah Jones scored a game-high 20 points while Shyanne Pipkin poured in 16. Lexi Price was right behind her with 15, Mihyia Davis had 11 and Macie LaRue dropped in 10. Shelby Pugh had eight. Haley Davidson and Jada Johnson both had five while Chelsea Butler rounded out the Lovelady scoring with four.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]