By By Lori Dann
The Escambia Academy Lady Cougars ran their record to 6-1 last week with a pair of wins over Sparta Academy and Faith Academy.
EA started slowly against Sparta on Thursday, leading by just two points, 6-4, at the close of the first period and by four, 18-14, at the half. Part of the reason for their sluggishness, said Lady Cougar coach Chad Prewett, was the absence of team leader Amy Ridgeway at point guard.
Ridgeway, an all-star cheerleader, was cheering at the AISA State Football All-Star Game in Selma.
But Ridgeway's replacement, Ashley Helton stepped it up in the second half and Jenifer Dykes took over on the offensive end of the floor, scoring 17 of her game-high 22 points. As a result, EA outscored Sparta 39-17 to pull away for a 57-31 victory. The Lady Cougars closed the game with a 22-9 run.
In addition to her point total, Dykes also had 10 rebounds and five steals. Following Dykes were Holly Mack with eight points and seven steals, Jessica Gibbs with eight points and Emily Hardy with two points and nine rebounds.
Adding two points each were Carmen Smith, Brook Young, Heather James and Shelby Moore.
Also last week, EA posted an impressive 48-41 win over Faith, which was ranked second in the state at the time.
The Lady Cougars had to battle from behind to win the game. They trailed 12-7 at the end of the first period and 21-19 at the half but closed to within a single point at 31-30 at the end of the third period.
In the final period, EA went on an 18-10 run to take the lead for good. Dykes keyed the late rally, scoring eight of her team-high 15 points in the final eight minutes. She also had four steals for the game.
Other standouts for the Lady Cougars included Martin, who had eight points and eight rebounds; Ridgeway, eight points and seven steals; Mack, seven points; Hardy and Bethany Hawkins, four points each; and Jessica Gibbs, two points.
EA was 6-1 prior to Tuesday's game at Crenshaw Academy, a team which defeated the Lady Cougars twice during summer camp. The Lady Cougars will host Demopolis Friday night with a special ceremony scheduled to signify the opening of the school's new gymnasium.