By Brandon O’Connor

Reporter

Early County girls’ basketball team was able to defeat the Lady Cats in the teams’ preseason scrimmage, but on Tuesday when the two met again for a regular season battle it was Bainbridge (4-2) that came out on top 59-44.

The win marked the Lady Cats’ third in a row and they head into the weekend with a winnable game against Cairo on the schedule.

“It is good to put a string of wins together and that’s what we talked about doing,” head coach Kelvin Cochran said. “If we get Cairo, that will be four in a row before we go back over there to Moultrie.”

Nadia Marshall lead the Lady Cats to victory with 22 points on 67-percent shooting. She also had 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Marshall was able to capitalize on multiple mismatches as Early struggled to decide which defender to leave on her.

“They tried to put their post player on Nadia, they had their best player on Kiarra at first, so I told her to throw the ball to Nadia,” Cochran said. “Their post can’t guard her so she just dribbled right by her to the goal. So then they put their best player, the little point guard, on her so I was like get the ball to Nadia inside.”

Her versatility is what makes her such a weapon for the Lady Cats according to Cochran.

“She can take advantage of small players inside and she can drive and shoot over big players that won’t come guard her,” Cochran said. “They have to pick and choose how they want to guard her.”

Bainbridge took a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a 24-20 advantage at halftime. They then outscored Early 13-11 in the third and put on the jet to pull away in the fourth quarter for a 15-point victory.

“As a team we just got out there and ran,” Cochran said. “I think Nadia scored 10 points right there in the fourth quarter alone because she went out there and got layups because she ran the floor hard. We’ve got to get easy baskets by running the floor.”

Tytiana Roseborough and Tyra Smart tied for second on the team with 12 points.

“[Tyra’s] been a consistent 3-point shooter from the wing,” Cochran said. “She’s never been a great defensive player. She knows it, but I try to talk to her. Her role out there is to space the floor and shoot and open it up for Nadia and them to drive.”

The team has also seen continued improvement from India Parris, who had two points and five rebounds, and Iyanna Gibbs, who had five points and nine rebounds.

“They’re working hard,” Cochran said. “Parris is a bigger body and a better rebounder. Gibbs is a little more agile so they kind of work hand and hand together.”

The Lady Cat return to the court with a home game against Cairo on Saturday before traveling to Colquitt on Tuesday.