Playing for the first time in more than a month, the West Marion Lady Trojans learned they have a long way to go to compete for a spot in the playoffs out of Region 8-3A.
West Marion (3-2, 1-1) went on the road Tuesday night and got blown out 58-23 by Tylertown, which is one of the top teams in both Region 8 and Class 3A. Malasia Leverette was the only West Marion player with more than three points, scoring 14 on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
“Tylertown has that all-state player that is quicker than anything we’ll probably see this year, and she had multiple steals and layups,” head coach Steven Fortenberry said. “Tylertown always has two or three girls that can knock the 3-ball down. We looked up and were down (24) at halftime, and the game was already over.”
Then Wednesday on the Coast, the Lady Trojans picked up their first district win of the young season 47-40 over Our Lady Academy, but Fortenberry said it wasn’t a pretty game.
“We should have beat OLA by a lot, but we struggled and won by seven. We shot (19) free throws and made (eight). We took 17 threes and made one. You’re not going to beat anybody doing that,” he said. “The only reason we won is because OLA is just a weak team.”
Leverette led the way again with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Arlexis Thomas hauled in 14 rebounds and scored six points.
On Tuesday, West Marion committed 26 turnovers against zero assists, showcasing just how dominant Tylertown’s defense was. It didn’t get much better against OLA with 12 turnovers and three assists.
“Our guard play just isn’t where it needs to be right now,” Fortenberry said.
The Lady Trojans will be without arguably their best player for the rest of the season as she opted to go virtual.
The Lady Trojans played host to Jeff Davis County Friday night, but results were unavailable at press time. They will remain at home to take on OLA in a rematch Friday, Jan. 15.
