Lady Warriors rout three

Published 10:16 pm Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Nansemond River High School sophomore point guard Briana Autrey pushes the tempo against visiting Kecoughtan High School on Tuesday during the Lady Warriors’ 85-40 PenSouth Conference victory.

Nansemond River High School sophomore point guard Briana Autrey pushes the tempo against visiting Kecoughtan High School on Tuesday during the Lady Warriors’ 85-40 PenSouth Conference victory.

The Nansemond River High School girls’ basketball team had a nearly two-week hiatus brought on by impending snow and exams, and while the layoff affected the Lady Warriors, they have kept a safe distance between themselves and losses since then.

Hosting Kecoughtan High School on Tuesday, Nansemond River handed the Lady Warriors from Hampton an 85-40 conference defeat.

“I thought that we did a good job of getting the ball out better,” NR coach R. Calvin Mason Sr. said, noting he’s been pleased with the tempo of the last three games.

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Previously, his players have quickened the tempo, “but not at the level that I thought we needed to do it at,” he said.

The coach also noted that defense was key to the decisive win. Nansemond River did not press the whole game because it was not necessary, but Mason said he and his staff have been emphasizing half-court defense, especially in his team’s man-to-man set, wanting to make sure his players did a better job of communicating, among other things.

Against Kecoughtan, “I thought our rotations were better, and I thought our communication was better,” he said.

The Lady Warriors of Suffolk went up 32-11 after the first quarter, enjoyed a 47-19 lead at halftime and expanded it to 65-30 by the end of the third period.

Sophomore point guard Briana Autrey led Nansemond River with 26 points on the night, to go with eight steals; senior guard/forward Aneka Yelverton added 20 points, five rebounds and five steals; and senior center Sabre Clegg had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Those three are capable of scoring double figures every night,” Mason said, but they had not all reached double figures on the same night this season until Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ll be a lot more consistent as we get closer to the tournament.”

During the Green Run High School Breast Cancer Classic on Saturday, Nansemond River faced Churchland High School and topped the Lady Truckers 76-36.

Compared to his team’s road game at Hampton High School the night before, Mason said, “Everything about what we did was just a little bit smoother.”

Yelverton led the way on offense with 31 points, Clegg had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Autrey chipped in nine points and seven assists.

On Friday, the Lady Warriors won 63-37 against Hampton, another PenSouth Conference foe.

“The tempo was good Friday; we just turned the ball over too many times,” Mason said. “We hadn’t played in two weeks, and it really showed.”

Nevertheless, Autrey starred with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, while Yelverton contributed 19 points, five rebounds and five steals.

Nansemond River (14-4, 3-0) hosted Bethel High School on Wednesday evening.

“They present the biggest challenge that we’ve had in-conference,” Mason said of the Lady Bruins on Wednesday afternoon.

Bethel was the Group 6A state runner-up in 2015, when the Lady Bruins fell 46-45 to Cosby High School.