Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Ava Perkins of Malakoff corrals a rebound on the baseline, defended by Eustace’s Heagen Manken.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Eustace’s Aurora Powell eyes the hoop as she navigates Malakoff’s Adyn Cooke (left) and Hillary Dawson.

EUSTACE–The Malakoff Lady Tigers basketball team were led by Hillary Dawson’s 12 opening-period points (and 35 overall) Jan. 30 against the Eustace Lady Bulldogs, allowing her team to coast to a 56-18 district win.
Eustace took an early-game lead on a Sarah Ross 3-pointer, then Dawson responded in the paint to allow Malakoff to retake a 4-3 advantage. Heagen Manken later scored a Eustace basket to give the Lady Bulldogs a 5-point total, but Malakoff went on a tear to take a 16-5 lead entering the second period, culminating in a Dailynn Jackson steal and layup.
During the second period, Malakoff’s Cam Gaddis scored two consecutive buckets to increase the Lady Tiger lead to 22-5, then Ava Perkins made a Malakoff trick shot under the basket with 3:11 before halftime to allow the Lady Tigers to lead 24-5. Malakoff led 30-5 at halftime.
The Lady Tigers led 37-5 on a Kaitlyn Massingill 3-point play, then Sadie Jo Long of Eustace broke the Malakoff scoring run with a single free throw with 3:47 remaining in the third period. Malakoff, though, led 44-6 entering the fourth period.
During that final period, Eustace scored 12 points. Aurora Powell rolled in a basket, Ross made two buckets, Long added a basket, Ross made two free throws then Powell made a miraculous heave into the hoop with 1:38 left in the contest.
Besides Dawson, Malakoff leading scorers included Gaddis with 8 points, Perkins with 4 points, Jackson and Massingill’s 3 points apiece, Adyn Cooke’s 2 points and a free throw by Josey Scott.
For Eustace, Ross led her team with 9 points, followed by Powell with 4 points, Long with 3 points and Manken’s 2 points.