COURTLAND
Any hopes that the Lady Dukes had of winning a game during the Christmas Tournament were squelched by the Lady Tigers’ performance on Thursday, which resulted in the 56-30 win at the Southampton High School gymnasium that evening.

The Lady Dukes had already lost 64-27 to the host Lady Indians on Wednesday, and so were likely hoping for some Christmas magic the next night. That was not to be.

Sussex kept Windsor scoreless through the first quarter while racking up 13 points. In the second, Lady Dukes got a 3-pointer within 13 seconds, but were only able to inch up sporadically to 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 points. The Lady Tigers continued to show their prowess on the court, frequently gaining baskets, putting them at 34-13 by halftime.

Windsor improved in the third, earning baskets at 4:21, 3:03, 2:08 and :27 left on the clock. But they always trailed behind Sussex, which got to 40 points with 3:13 left, and stayed there until 1:54 remained. With just :07 seconds left, the Lady Tigers got yet another basket and put the score at 44-24.

The Lady Dukes scored eight seconds into the fourth, but stayed at 26 points until 1:16 was left, getting to 28. The last two points came in with :20 seconds left. Sussex periodically won points throughout the final quarter, and made it to the 56 mark by game’s end.

Windsor coach Sherry Ashburn said she definitely has seen improvement in the Lady Dukes since the start of the season.

“They’re a very young team,” she said, and mentioned that two junior varsity players were needed for the mix: Jimiah Eley and Taliyah Evans.

Ashburn said that the players will work more on defense, adding, “They’ll get better.”

The Lady Dukes will go to Brunswick High School for their next game on Wednesday, Jan. 3, starting at 6 p.m.