Girls’ Basketball, 17-3, lost their first playoff game 59-45, at home on Thursday night against city rivals Newton South.
South seemed to have possession of the ball for most of the first quarter and also held a minimal lead. North was very efficient offense, keeping them in the game.
As usual, senior Sayawni Lassiter, a captain, made a big impact on the game, scoring 30 points in her final game as a Tiger. With those points Lassiter was able to get over the 1,000 point mark in her high school career.
Her coach, Mo Hamel, said, “It was awesome. She missed an entire season, so the fact that she did it in three years is incredible.”
Lassiter didn’t have much to say on reaching the mark. “It was good that it was done in three years, but I wish we could‘ve ended the season on a better note,” she said.
Lassiter dominated the second quarter, 10 points out of the team’s 12 points. With precision passes, aggressive rebounds, and spectacular skills, she was able to keep North in the game.
The first half of the ball game was tight, with South never holding a lead of more than six points. Butt, heading into halftime, the score was 28-24 in favor of the Lions.
South junior Veronica Burton exploded in the second half, finishing with 12 of her team’s 16 points in the fourth quarter. She helped her team to extend their lead to 14 points.
“We knew how good she is, and wanted to allow her to shoot contested shots. Unfortunately, she was able to knock them down,” said Hamel.
Lassiter was able to get to the line several times in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop Burton.
This loss takes them out of the playoffs, ending their season.