Veterans basketball staves off late comeback from Bleckley County; Lady Warhawks use offensive glass to overcome Lady Royals in second half

KATHLEEN — The Veterans Warhawks (6-4) were never truly safe until the final buzzer in their 63-55 win over the Bleckley County Royals (3-4) on Tuesday.

Here are three observations from the non-region contest:

PHOTOS: See more shots from the game.

Staving off the comeback

The Warhawks were up by double digits with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but the Royals did all they could to get back in the game.

They pressured Veterans ball handlers and aggressively double teamed anyone stuck near the sidelines to force turnovers.

Warhawks coach Chip Flemmer got flashbacks to their scrimmage against Bleckley County over the summer on Tuesday.

“We played them this summer over at Perry, and it was a very similar game,” Flemmer said. “We had to fight, claw and scratch to get where we got today, and they play hard…at the beginning of the game we weren’t hitting any layups, we were missing a lot of free throws over the course of the game…Once we got a couple shots under our belt I felt we were okay. But I never felt comfortable in this one.”

Missed shots at the rim and free throws

One of the things that kept Bleckley County in it was the Warhawks’ inability to make their shots at the basket.

They got to the rim frequently but saw shot after shot roll off the rim. Some of it can be chalked up to an off night, but Flemmer thinks the defense forced Veterans to alter their shots some.

“I think sometimes our guys get to the rim and they’re afraid to get their shots are gonna get blocked and then maybe alter that shot,” Flemmer said. “Don’t worry about it getting blocked, just go up strong and see what happens. Hopefully you make it or at least get to the foul line. So we got to change that mentality of always wanting to fade away…”

Aiden Sweenor facing the face guard

Aiden Sweenor is a player that draws a lot of attention from the defense, and sometimes that looks like a face guard.

Sweenor faced it against Valdosta, and again against the Royals.

The counter for him looked different this time, though, as Flemmer elected to go four on four and keep Sweenor in the corner. It saw mixed results, with less success than their other strategy against the Wildcats.

“They were face guarding him a little bit, and we decided to put him off in the corner and just see if we could go four on four and do something. [It] had some moments, but it wasn’t as successful as it was last time just trying to play through it. So we may have to go back to just playing through it,” Flemmer said.

Lady Warhawks 67, Lady Royals 48

The Veterans Lady Warhawks (7-2) used a strong second-half effort from the starters to finish off the Bleckley County Lady Royals (5-2) in a 67-48 final that is not representative of how competitive the game was.

Three observations:

Cleaning the glass changed the game

Both teams had a hard time getting the ball in the basket through periods of the game. Shots rolled off the rim, or even sailed over it.

What made the difference for the Lady ‘Hawks was offensive rebounding. On a night where they turned the ball over and missed shots, getting those second chances was paramount.

“Tonight they were huge,” Veterans coach Tracy Fendley said of their second chance points. “I don’t know how many rebounds Addyson McClendon had, but she had 14 points for us and a lot of those were offensive rebound put backs. She came in pretty clutch for us, especially in the second half.”

Nariah Nelson was aggressive going coast to coast to get to the basket and catch the defense off balance, and she did see several shots drop. However, there were plenty of attempts that didn’t connect, and that’s where those second chances opportunities came in to play.

Addyson McClendon had a big third quarter down low in conjunction with Nelson to keep Veterans ahead despite the Lady Royals’ best attempts to stay in it.

She, and others, cleaned up missed shots at the rim and put them back to make sure the Lady ‘Hawks had productive offensive possessions in a game they weren’t all too common.

Battling through turnovers

The flow of Tuesday’s game was all over the place as both teams, particularly in the first half, traded turnovers and fouls. Many possessions never went anywhere before a blocking foul, reach-in, double dribble or traveling violation sent the ball the other way.

That doesn’t take into account the turnovers both forced and unforced, either.

“[Bleckley County’s] defensive intensity and the defenses they were running, it caused a lot of chaos,” Fendley said. “I felt the second half we did a better job with turnovers and I think that was a difference maker. We shot 76% from the free throw line, it’s probably the best for us this whole season, so super proud of them. [Bleckley County] took 29 free throws. If we make less and they make more free throws, it’s a different ball game.”

Veterans found most of their rhythm in transition when they were able to get behind the Bleckley County defense.

In the half court the Lady Royals were packing the paint and double teaming ball handlers on the wing.

Big runs from big starters

The expectation for starters and leaders on the team is to show up in big moments. They’re the most trusted players on the team and usually the ones who can get a basket when the team needs one.

Nelson, McClendon and Jessie Ortiz had individual runs in the third and fourth quarters respectively to keep the Lady Royals at bay when they came knocking.

Nelson had six straight points with a 3-pointer and an and-one to open the third quarter and put Veterans up 10, their largest lead of the night.

McClendon had six points in the third quarter, four off of offensive rebounds.

Ortiz had five straight in the fourth quarter to give the Lady ‘Hawks’ offense a little bit of momentum that allowed them to put the game away late.

“Nariah is a seasoned vet, but the other two are seniors, so I think they’re starting to realize this is their senior year and they’re leaving it all out on the court,” Fendley said. “[McClendon] really stepped it up and had her best game tonight. Jessie, [it’s] par for the course. We get that every night from Jessie…she’s just a difference maker in the game. She’s a little spark of energy, and she brings a lot of leadership to the team.”

“Nariah, she had 21 points, I don’t know how many rebounds she had right now…but I’m willing to bet she had a double double. She plays big for us every night. Nariah is just a really, good talented basketball player.”

UP NEXT

The Lady ‘Hawks will play on Thursday, Dec. 19 against Lowndes at Lee County High School for the Girl Power Tournament at 2 p.m. The Warhawks will play their next game at Perry on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in a boys only contest.