By Michael Lindsay
Ellie Butler Scores 20 As Lady Wildcats Defeat Class 3A #2-Ranked Upperman, 47-43
The Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats (15-9, 3-4) got back in the win column Tuesday evening as they defeated the Upperman Lady Bees (21-5, 5-2) by a 47-43 margin.
“We finally played four quarters,” said Livingston head coach Lesley Riddle. “They (Upperman) had a night where they didn’t shoot it very well, which really helped us. We tried to push them off the three-point line and get them off balance. We haven’t had played a game where everybody was contributing offensively like this one tonight.”
Livingston senior Ellie Butler led the Lady Wildcats with 20 points and 5 rebounds along with 7 points from Emma Poston. Chloe Jenkins had 3 points and 9 rebounds in the victory.
“Cora Copeland and Mia Hughes did a good job trying to defend them,” said Riddle. “Chloe Jenkins didn’t have big numbers tonight, but she did a great job on defense in our zone getting to shooters. I think we take Ellie’s scoring for granted sometimes.”
Livingston took control early as a Myla Dailey jumper late in the first quarter gave her team a 17-8 advantage. The Lady Wildcats extended their lead to double-digits early in the second quarter as a Butler transition layup put Livingston ahead by a 22-12 margin.
Upperman battled back and closed the deficit to 5 points by halftime at 25-21.
The Lady Wildcats pushed ahead by 9 points (34-25) via a Butler and-one with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter. Livingston maintained a three-possession lead as they entered the fourth quarter ahead 35-28.
Upperman closed the gap in the fourth quarter to a single possession as a Sadie South three-pointer followed by back-to-back baskets from Ella Harrell cut Livingston’s lead to 41-39 with 3:25 remaining.
Livingston answered on the ensuing possession via a Copeland jumper to push their lead to two possessions at 43-39 with 2:20 left.
A Taylor Dolente basket with 8.3 seconds remaining pulled Upperman within one possession again at 46-43, but Ellie Butler put the game away via a made free throw with less than 4 seconds left to ice the 47-43 victory.
Livingston’s win on Tuesday splits the season series with Upperman as the Lady Bees overcame a 19-point deficit in the first game on Jan. 14 to win 45-41.
“I got mad at the way we were defending in the first one and I got stubborn,” said Riddle. “I wasn’t so stubborn tonight; we changed up our defense a little more and got it done.”
Up next for Livingston is a trip to Stone Memorial (7-17, 1-6) on Friday while Upperman hosts DeKalb County (6-19, 0-7).
Upperman Boys Secure Regular-Season District Championship Via 66-44 Victory At Livingston
The Upperman Bees (20-2, 7-0) wrapped up the #1 overall seed in District 7-3A Tuesday night as they defeated the Livingston Academy Wildcats (14-10, 4-3) by a 66-44 margin.
Tuesday’s win gives Upperman a 3-game lead over both Livingston and Stone Memorial in district play and the Bees hold a tiebreaker over both teams via head-to-head victories.
Sophomore point guard Ty Cobb led a balanced scoring effort for the Bees with 23 points followed by 9 points each from Jack Torrence and Colton Johnson. Evan Huddleston and Bronzden Chaffin chipped in 8 points apiece as well.
Upperman took control from the jump as the Bees led 15-5 after one quarter. Livingston battled back in the second quarter they trimmed their deficit to 21-18 midway through the frame.
The Bees weathered the storm and outscored Livingston 7-2 over the final two minutes of the second to take a 28-20 lead into halftime.
Upperman took control in the third quarter as the Bees outscored Livingston 21-7 in the third period to take a 49-27 lead entering the fourth, where they closed out to win by a 66-44 final score.
Up next for the Bees is a home game on Friday against DeKalb County (9-16, 1-6) while Livingston travels to Stone Memorial (17-8, 4-3) in a battle of teams tied in second place in District 7-3A play.
