Middleton ladies squeak by Liberty to keep streak alive

The Middleton Lady Tigers won a pair of games last week, defeating Scotts Hill on the road on Friday, Jan. 15, 54-17 before squeaking by Liberty at home on Saturday, Jan. 16, 52-49 to keep their win streak alive at 52 games.
The ladies had an easy time against Scotts Hill, jumping out to a 12 point lead after the first quarter, increasing their lead to 27 points by half time and 41 points by the end of the third quarter. Scotts Hill was able to make up a little lost ground in the fourth quarter but it was no where near enough, as Middleton rolled to an easy 37 point 54-17 win.
“We jumped out in the first quarter and were able to put Scotts Hill away early,” Middleton Head Coach James Burkley said.
Dakedra Mason led the way with 12 points and nine rebounds. Cherelle Jones also had 12 points, and Chelsey Perry added 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
The ladies had their hands full when Liberty came to town on Saturday. Once again, the Lady Tigers got off to a quick start and lead by 13 points after the first quarter and 18 points at the break. That is when the tide shifted. Liberty cut Middleton’s lead back to 13 points after three quarters, then outscored Middleton 18-6 in the final stanza, but it was not quite enough, as the Lady Tigers held on for a three point 52-49 win.
“We knew this was going to be a dogfight going in to the game,” Coach Burkley said. “We rebounded the ball well, but we had 26 turnovers and did not shoot the ball well, especially at the free throw line. We missed nine free throws in the second half alone.”
Sequoya Warren led the scoring with 19 points, followed by Dakedra Mason with 11 points.
Middleton’s record is now 17-0(5-0 in District 15 A), The ladies now have 52 wins in a row. They also have 48 home wins in a row, and have not lost a game at home since 2012.
The Middleton boys did not have as much luck last week. They were able to get an easy 84-37 win against Scotts Hill on Friday, but could not come up with a win against Liberty at home on Saturday, losing 90-79.
On Friday against Scotts Hill, Middleton took command early, and led by 12 points after the first quarter, 18 points at half time, 37 points after three quarters and 47 points by the final buzzer for an easy 84-37 win.
“We jumped out early and our full court pressure gave Scotts Hill some problems,” Burkley said.
Justin Morman led the way with 12 points and eight rebounds. Montrez Jones also had 12 points, while Rodrigeus Robinson had 11 points, Jacque Gibson and Maurius Reaves had 10 points each.
On Saturday, Middleton and Liberty were neck and neck for three quarters. The two teams were knotted at 15-15 after the first period, and Middleton led by six points at halftime. The Tigers were still up by two points as the third quarter was coming to an end when Liberty hit a three point shot at the buzzer to take a one point lead going into the final quarter, then proceeded to go on a 10 point run to start the final quarter. The Tigers could never quite get back into the game, and lost by 11 points 90-79.
“When Liberty made that three pointer at the end of the third quarter, the momentum shifted Liberty’s way,” Burkley said.    “We also missed 19 free throws, and that made a big difference.”
Tylandrius Parks led the effort with 26 points, followed by Jacque Gibson with 19 points, Justin Morman with 15 points and Montrez Jones with 14 points.
Middleton’s record is now 12-4 (5-0 in District 15A).
Middleton was set to host Riverside on Tuesday, Dec. 19. They will travel to TCA on Friday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m., and will host Martin Westview on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m.