Lady Longhorns 5-0 after blasting Clarke Prep

LINDEN– The Lady Longhorns of Marengo Academy have been man-handling the competition this season as evident in another crushing win over the Clarke Prep Lady Gators (0-2) by a margin of 44-4, giving them five straight wins to open the season.

The Lady Horns (5-0, 2-0) have very few weak spots in a team that features good length and size, excellent passing, and the all-important ball handling skills. All were on full display Monday from the get-go when MA forced a turnover on the opening possession that eventually led to a knock-down 3-point bucket courtesy of Chandler Stenz. Thirty seconds, three steals, and five points later put the score at 8-0 with 7:03 in the opening period.

It would get worse for the Lady Gators as MA’s full court pressure defense completely stifled its opponent. CPS couldn’t as across the timeline the first three minutes of the contest. Once they did, they still couldn’t manage a shot attempt until 4:00 in the first, not getting on the board until three minutes after that. The score after one was 16-2.

The thumping continued as multiple players produced a multitude of positive plays. The Lady Horns were patient with the basketball all night, never rushing a setup or jacking up wild shots. This patience enabled their offense to thrive in a manner that is anything but one-dimensional. Five Lady Horns scored before intermission on a variety of different looks. The defense allowed no points in the second period and the score going into half was 30-2 before finishing 44-4.

Brooke Smyly led all scorers with 12 points while picking up five steals and three assists.

Chandler Stenz had a similar stat line with five steals, three dishes, and 11 points.

Andrea Edmonds pitched in 11 of her own points along with four steals and three rebounds.

Edmonds and Conner Etheridge led the rebounding category with three.

The Marengo Academy Lady Longhorns will be back at it Tuesday when they host the Lady Cougars of Southern Academy (4-1) in a rematch of a matchup that ended in Marengo’s favor just a few days ago.