Newberry Academy earns first win of the season in nail-biter at home against Whitmire

NEWBERRY — Newberry Academy girls’(1-1) basketball team notched their first win of the season after defeating Whitmire(0-1) 34-31 at home.

Diving for loose balls, fighting for every rebound and battling on every possession was the scene on Thursday, Nov. 30th when the two cross town rivals tipped off at 6:00 p.m. on the campus of Newberry Academy. The two teams went back-and-forth all night, but it came down to late game execution.

The lady Wolverines held a narrow 15-14 lead at halftime. Imari Brown got things going for Whitmire’s offense in the third quarter with a huge three-point basket in the opening seconds of the quarter. The lady Eagles kept things close with their defense and effort.

Both teams were able to turn defense into offense.

Whitmire ended the third quarter with to back-to-back buckets that gave them a 28-25 lead headed into the fourth quarter.

Points were at a premium in the fourth quarter as both teams combined to score just 12 of them in the quarter. The lady Wolverines were able to get a steal late in the fourth quarter, with only about 30 seconds left to play in the game, and race down the floor to draw a foul on the fastbreak. Now down 33-31, freshman Raylin Vicars stood at the free throw line with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, she missed both free throw attempts and the lady Wolverines had no other choice but to foul.

Newberry Academy made one of two free throws and it was enough to secure their first win of the season. Despite the low scoring game, Khloe Cheeks finished with 13 points, Jayla Williams had 12 points and Anna Lombardo had seven points.

They will move on to face Greenwood Christian on Friday, Dec. 1st, for the second time this season. Hopefully, they can get some revenge on their home floor.

As for Whitmire, the young Wolverines will have to quickly regroup as they hit the road again to face Lewisville for the second game of their back-to-back.