By Sedrick Bolton III November 29, 2022
HAMPTON Lady Bulldogs' point guard Danielle Carnegie hits the dagger three with less than 35 seconds left of play to cap off her 27-point second half. With the 56-52 victory, Rockdale County improves to 5-0 on the season.
This game showcased a tight contest between Lovejoy and Rockdale with neither team having a lead larger than five.
The Lady Bulldogs led for the majority of the first half, mainly from scoring in transition. Trips to the free throw line and perimeter scoring kept Lovejoy's defense honest.
The Lady Wildcats scoring in the first half was centered around the paint. If it wasn't putbacks from offensive rebounds, players shot around the free throw area for quality shots to stay in the game. At the half, Lovejoy led 22-21.
But the third quarter was when Carnegie took over. She had back-to-back steals for scores with the first being a midrange pull-up and the second a 3. Her active hands on defense resulted in quick passes for a teammate to score or a coast-to-coast lay up.
Carnegie was unconscious shooting the ball, scoring 14 points in the period and taking the lead back. And with each make she bore no emotion, just calm and collected while she moved at her own pace.
"My biggest thing was to keep composure," said Carnegie. "Make, miss, foul, reach, anything just to keep composure and have that same mentality."
Despite her hot start, Lovejoy still stayed in the game. With much need scoring junior Bryanna Preston and senior La'Nya Foster, the Lady Wildcats trailed by four heading into the fourth.
Lovejoy opened the quarter on a 9-2 run that gave them the 45-42 lead. But a 3 from Carnegie ties the score with 4:39 left. The Lady Wildcats answered back with a four-point play opportunity from sophomore Camiah Muldrow that had the crowd in a frenzy.
"I was very excited because my shots weren't going in previously," said Muldrow. "So it was a boost for the team to get the energy going and the energy back up to try to reel us up."
The free throw was no good so Lovejoy's lead stayed at three with the 48-45 score. But again comes Carnegie hitting another 3 to tie the game. With 54 seconds left in the game, Rockdale led 53-50.
It wasn't until an aggressive take by Preston for a lay in that reduced their deficit to just one. With time for one last possession, Carnegie breaks free at the top of the key to hit the cold-blooded triple to seal the victory and cap off a 13-point quarter.
The young point gaurd's performance on the defensive and offensive side was something people noticed and respected .
"Danielle Carnegie showed why she's No. 26 in the nation," said Lady Wildcats' Head Coach Cedric King. "I mean 36 points...it was just so impressive to see the kid go out and want it like that."
Despite the victory and undefeated road record, the team still isn't satisfied because there is still work to be done.
"We're not done until we win state championship or reach regional championship," said Carnegie.
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