Eagles soar above Lady Lions

The Lady Lions of Providence High put up a good fight on Wednesday evening during their battle against visiting American Christian Academy, which saw the Eagles take the win from the home team 62-25.

The game was low-scoring through the first quarter and the Eagles went into the second period with a 10-8 lead over the Lions.

A jump shot by Mikala Baugher gave Providence a push, as the Lions tightened up their offense.

Kayla Tuma lit up the Lions' rebounding effort often during the second quarter as she leapt into the fray for rebounds. Tuma finished the night with a team-high five rebounds, while also scoring five points.

After a fast-paced second quarter, the Eagles had extended their lead to 26-13.

The Eagles continued to up their game after halftime, which forced passing errors from the Lions, as the visitors began to pull away from Providence later into the third.

But a jump shot from the top of the key Audrey Grocott gave the Lions hope, and they managed to hold the much larger and more-experienced Eagles as best they could.

Grocott concluded her evening with a team-high 11 points.

As the fourth quarter began, Providence looked to cut into the 44-20 deficit, with all the Lions on the court playing fast-paced, energetic basketball. Despite the effort, the Eagles were able to open their season with the road win.

After the meeting, Providence coach Laurel Cleek was optimistic about her team's abilities and their upcoming season, saying, "We are starting young players, mostly freshmen and sophomores, but we have really great athletes and an exceptional group of girls with exceptional hearts. They are really competitive, great quality girls."

The Lady Lions hit the road on Dec. 4 to face off against Westwood.

CONTACT Emily Saint-Evens at 824-7990 or esaintevens@tcnpress.com.