Linden runs past McIntosh in sub-regional action

LINDEN – Things got out of hand quickly Tuesday night as Linden romped over McIntosh 74-43 in the Class 1A South sub-regional. En route to punching its ticket to Friday’s South Regional in Dothan, Linden shared the basketball as it tallied a collective 20 assists on the night.

“I felt good about the execution. We shared the ball really well. Once they pulled the defense, they did a good job of dishing it off to the open man and it helped out,” Linden coach Teressa Bolden said.

Linden led 24-11 after one quarter of play and moved the advantage to 38-23 by halftime. As Linden went into the locker room, junior standout forward Amber Richardson had already racked up 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.

“It doesn’t matter who scores to us. All we care about is winning,” Bolden said. “The sky is the limit if we all keep playing together. As long as she is looking to pass the ball, I think we’re always going to win. They’re looking to clamp down on her because they know she’s a scorer. Everybody is looking to kind of double team her. It’s a good thing when she is able to make the passes.”

The onslaught continued in the second half as Richardson and her teammates moved the offense along at a frenetic pace in both transition and the half-court game.

Richardson punctuated her night with 35 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots. Tomysha Boykin added 12 points while Dajia Miller and Tryoneisha Charleston scored eight each.

Shanteria Witherspoon paced McIntosh with 26 points and seven rebounds. Hattae Henderson added nine points and 12 rebounds.

Linden (21-4) will now make the 183-mile trek to Dothan to face Pleasant Home (24-4) Friday at 3 p.m. Bolden’s Patriots won that regional a year ago on their way to a state championship game appearance.

“I think they know more about what to expect, knowing that you can’t underestimate anybody,” Bolden said. “We’re looking forward to going down there though.”