By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The roster of nine Tipton-Rosemark Academy Lady Rebels was even thinner Friday night.
Missing from the lineup in the TRA Gymnasium as the Trinity Christian Academy Lady Lions came to town were leading scorers Elyse Warren and Raven Sims.
The Lady Lions took full advantage of the situation and dominated the action for a 61-15 win over the Lady Rebels.
“It’s been an up and down season because of injuries,” TRA Head Coach Cedric Anderson said. “Injuries to your main players, we’re already thin in numbers. As soon as we get healthy, COVID hits us. The girls are hanging in there. Our role players, I am proud of the girls. They have not lost their confidence in a tough situation.”
Warren, Kayla Clement, Ryleigh Bowers are the three seniors on the roster for TRA.
Bowers inked her letter of intent to play softball at Dyersburg State earlier in the day. She played tough in the post leading to a field goal in the second half.
Her fellow Lady Rebel basketball/softball teammate Clement scored three points in the first half from the line.
The TCA defense was intense and hounded the youthful Lady Rebel ball-handers throughout the first half.
The lineup of Jacklynn Hailer, Ava Anderson, Ema Richardson, Sophia Clift and Lizzie Crowe started to make more plays in the second half as the speed of the game slowed down. Anderson said he hopes the biggest takeaway from the TCA game will be his younger players building more confidence to support Warren and Sims in February.
“What I told them is that this is a game where you need to learn how to make a play,” he said. “You have to get your confidence up to where when Raven and Elyse come back you will be ready to make some plays in space.
“Right now you realize what they have to deal with every night, which is making plays with no space,” Anderson concluded. “They make plays because they are elite players. And now you have to make plays.”
