Mustang girls basketball defense clamps down to pull away from Lakewood

LaDazhia Williams didn’t get a chance to attack the basket until the first quarter at Lakewood Ranch High School was nearly six minutes done.

That is when the senior slashed into the paint, drew a foul and knocked down a free throw to slice an early deficit against St. Petersburg Lakewood to five points.

She wasn’t quiet much longer. Lakewood’s next possession ended with a wild drive to the basket and a swat by Williams. The Mustangs’ defensive anchor knocked the ball to Cierra McKinon and darted down the court. The other post player launched an outlet pass to Williams, who finished through contact.

By the end of the quarter, the Mustangs had taken the lead for good thanks to two more field goals from Williams during the final 45 seconds, and Lakewood Ranch was on its way to a 50-34 win.

“We rebounded and outleted the ball well, communicated on defense,” Williams said. “We protected the rim well with our blocked shots.”

Williams, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with South Carolina, finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double Saturday, instead settling for a double-double with 25 points and 10 blocks. She was the Mustangs’ most consistent option in the half court offensively and the anchor to a smothering defensive effort in the post.

She frequently plays like a small forward on offense and a center on defense, but those roles were flipped against the Spartans. With McKinon handling the paint, Williams was free to roam and get her hands on balls lofted toward the rim from all over the court. Against Lakewood’s undersized front line, Williams played with her back to the basket and shredded the Spartans on 9 of 12 shooting.

“She was actually guarding guards tonight,” head coach Tina Hadley said. “This year we have her facing the basket a lot more, but I saw that they didn’t have a big girl guarding her, so I thought, We’ve got to take advantage of that.”

Lakewood Ranch (8-0) scuffled through most of the quarter offensively. The Mustangs opened with a scoring drought of more than three minutes and didn’t score their first field goal until there was 2:16 left in the period. Most of the droughts, though, were by Lakewood.

The Spartans (6-1) went scoreless for more than eight minutes from the middle of the first quarter until the middle of the second and another 5:32 to start the third as Lakewood Ranch built a lopsided lead.

“We’re a faster team than we were last year,” Hadley said. “We can plug the gaps quicker, we can get in the passing lanes quicker, so we just have to keep working on it.”

Williams’ and McKinnon’s presences in the paint helped the Mustangs overcome deficiencies elsewhere, particularly during the final frame.

Lakewood Ranch only forced two turnovers during the fourth quarter and Lakewood’s guards fought into the paint at will. But they ran into McKinon and Williams, who recorded four blocks during the fourth quarter alone.

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 9:39 PM with the headline "Mustang girls basketball defense clamps down to pull away from Lakewood."