Dominant Post Play Propels Lady Wave Over University Christian In Regional Semis

(The P.K. Yonge Lady Wave walk off victors after their 16-point Regional Semifinal win against Jacksonville-University Christian on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at P.K. Yonge's gymnasium.)

The Regional Semifinal game between University Christian and the P.K. Yonge Lady Wave displayed two teams that laid it all out in hopes to advance to the “Elite Eight”. The Lady Wave did not disappoint while having home-court advantage. They put on a defensive show to get the victory.

The statement, “It’s not how you start, it’s how finish,” held true in this intense and physical contest.

With both teams both teams overcoming nerves and settling into their style of game, U.C. showed promise of giving P.K. the upset early.

U.C. jumped to a big lead in the first quarter, led by a strong trio in guards Natalia Lopez and Kamille Pickens, as well forward Jada Hudson. The Christians made a clear statement that they we’re going to play defense and attack the basket.

They jumped out to a 10-3 late in the first quarter. Hudson and Lopez got it going early as they got their shots to fall.

The Christians’ harassing defense held the Blue Wave to a low of six points as the first quarter ended, 15-6. This was P.K.’s lowest first quarter score this season.

It didn’t take long for Blue Waves to turn things around in the second quarter. Key role players for P.K. boosted the vibe of the offense and defense. One that stood out? Eight grader Mya McGraw.

McGraw caused a lot of disruption on defense, in the post and on the rebounding glass, which limited second chance opportunities for U.C. McGraw also took on the scoring load for the Wave in second quarter.

The strong trio for U.C. made some big plays, but struggled as P.K.’s defense put in work to give them a cold streak for most of the second quarter. Pickens hit a long range bomb late in the second quarter to keep the Wave down.

With 16.7 seconds on the clock, Jasmine Spencer gets the ball. She dribbles as she sizes her opponent and goes to her right. With a few seconds left before half, she hits a big three to bring The Wave within two.

The score at half was 25-23 with U.C. on top.

The Blue Wave started the third quarter with a sense of urgency. P.K. tied the game at 25 with Alisha Clayton using a post move to freeze the defender to get the easy layup.

The offense for both teams picked up, but the defense match their level of intensity. The Blue Wave captured a 36-32 lead going into the fourth quarter.

McGraw’s performance gave a push for the seniors and star players to step their game up. Raquel Cassidy and Kailya Jackson took over and made the fourth their quarter.

The tandem showed no mercy as they put on a show to put away the Christians. Cassidy made some second-chance baskets and knocked down free-throws. She made a highlight play by grabbing a rebound and going back up to make a layup through contact for the and-one.

Jackson put on a show as she made three consecutive baskets, including a moment where she drove to the rim and hit a sweet lay-in.

Once the Lady Wave had the lead, it was no going back. University Christian’s season will come to and The P.K. girls will continue as they move much closer to Lakeland.

Top Scoring Performers:

U.C. Jada Hudson 13 points Natalia Lopez 12 points Kamille Pickens 7 points

P.K. Raquel Cassidy 12 points Mya McGraw 11 points Kailya Jackson 10 points

Next Game: P.K. Yonge vs. Providence (Jacksonville, FL) Tuesday, 2/14