In the opening round of the MAIS overall state playoffs, Parklane’s girls basketball team cruised to a 62-27 win over 2A-champs Columbus Christian on Monday in Clinton.
The second-seeded Lady Pioneers dominated from start to finish and were led in scoring by freshman Carlyle Carruth, who poured in 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting to continue her strong postseason play.
Junior Zoe Alford followed her running mate up with 17 points, while freshman Lay Jackson tacked on 10.
Carruth owned the glass with a team-high seven rebounds, while senior Sydney Brewer led the way with four assists and recorded a trio of steals.
Junior Anna Sawyer added eight points and six rebounds as well.
According to the Parklane coaching staff, the team’s primary goal was to speed up a normally slow-paced Lady Rams squad in order to play at a speed the Lady Pioneers felt more comfortable with.
“We knew that Columbus Christian played a slower game than we do after watching them on film,” assistant coach Tammy Gillihan explained. “We started the game in a full court press to establish a fast-paced game and were able to take a comfortable lead into halftime.”
Up next, Parklane takes on the winner of the Lamar Christian-Kirk Academy matchup at 11:15 a.m. next Monday in the quarterfinals of the MAIS state playoffs.
