Varnado cruises past Crescent City

Published 7:00 am Friday, February 5, 2016

Varnado’s Tarralyn Moses followed up her 32-point game Friday with another 32-point contest Tuesday, helping her team to a 58-30 win over Crescent City in a District 8-1A contest at home on Senior Night.

Moses, who knocked down six 3-pointers, also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Varnado got off to a good start. The Lady Cats jumped out to a 16-4 advantage. Varnado got on the board 1:22 into the contest when Ke’arria Green, who had four points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals, grabbed an offensive rebound and hit the putback.

Moses made a steal in the backcourt and was good on the layup at the 5:34 mark. Moses also hit two free throws nearly two minutes later to make it a 6-0 contest. Crescent City cut the lead to four on a midrange shot by Brittany Steven, who finished with four.

After Moses passed to Yienna Kemp for two, the Lady Pioneers got back within four on two free throws by Jana Thomas, who posted 10, with 2:55 on the clock.

Varnado then tallied eight in a row to make it 16-4.

Green was good for two with 2:24 left. Moses knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, with the first one coming at the 1:51 mark.

Varnado led 18-5 after one quarter.

Crescent City’s Thomas passed to Steven for a layup to start the second period, but Varnado opened the lead up by posting nine straight points.

Moses made a backcourt steal and then the layup before Moses passed to Jaden Foster for two more. Moses was good on a layup for a 24-7 lead with 5:09 remaining. About 1:40 later, Green passed to Jaden Foster, who made the layup and Moses hit 1-of-2 from the line after grabbing an offensive rebound. It was 27-7 with 2:54 left and 30-12 at the break.

Varnado’s defense was strong throughout, allowing just 18 points in the second half en route to the win.

Offensively, coach Lubertha Peters said the team was off a little.

“I guess they were hyped because it was Senior Night,” Peters said. “To me, they didn’t play as well because their mind was on Senior Night. It even started with their warmups; they were so active to be celebrating this occasion.”

Following the game, before the boys’ game got underway, Varnado honored its senior basketball players. The girls’ seniors are Tyquasia Allen, Ke’arria Green, Tiairria Green, Kemp, Moses and Breanna Holmes.

Peters talked highly of the group.

“They bring leadership, they work hard and they just want to win,” Peters said.

Holmes missed this season because of an illness. Peters said that she and the rest of the team wanted to give Holmes a shoutout. Peters added that the team missed Holmes very much this season.

The win moved Varnado’s record to 14-11 overall and 5-2 in league play.

Kemp tallied 10 points, three boards, six assists and two steals. Foster recorded 10 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Allen had two points, a rebound and a steal while Quierra Bickham logged two boards and a steal.

Crescent City’s Arial Reston posted eight points while Victoria Martina posted three and Heaven Giusti added two.