Linden girls thump Georgiana to move to South Regional

LINDEN — It took virtually no time for the Linden Lady Patriots to assert themselves in the sub-regional round Tuesday as they went on to beat Georgiana 53-24.

Linden (15-6) held an 18-4 lead through one quarter of play and scarcely let up, never allowing double-digit points in an quarter during the early afternoon contest.

“Defense. That’s pretty much what’s been carrying us all year,” Linden coach Teressa Bolden said of the key to her team’s success.

Linden stretched the lead to 27-9 by half and poured it on with a 16-6 third quarter to shift the game into cruise control.

The Lady Patriots saw Amber Richardson dump in 22 points to lead the way while Tomysha Boykin added 12 and Imiya Agee and Dajia Miller scored eight apiece.

“They’ve been the core of the team. They’ve been holding it all together,” Bolden said of the quartet that has set the pace for Linden over the course of the season. “When one is having an off night, another on always seems to pick her up. We don’t have a set scorer, but when one is having a bad night it’s always one of the four that picks her up and that has been big for us.”

Senior Demetra Gandy led Georgiana with seven points while seventh grader Tenasia Gordon added six.

The victory moves Linden’s winning streak to seven games and advances the Lady Patriots to the South Regional at the Dothan Civic Center where they will challenge McIntosh Thursday at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got to keep it like we have all year, sisterhood and just being us,” Bolden said of what her team must do as it adjusts to the unfamiliar environment of the regional tournament. “We’ll try to look at each game as an individual game and not having them look at the big picture.”