By Johnny Sanders,
Sports Editor
On Friday night, the Moody Blue Devils welcomed rival Leeds Green Wave for the Battle of the Bridge, the men’s basketball version. Leeds, sporting a 1-4 record and two straight losses, came into the region matchup looking to get on track and, if their performance against Moody was any indication, they are back on track.
Leeds never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 17-9 lead in the first quarter. Tabari Davis had six of the 17 points scored for the Green Wave.
Moody got some things going offensively in the second quarter, but Leeds would match them as both teams put up 15 points. Moody was led by Carson Dillashaw and Aden Johnson while Leeds would be led by Davis and Ronald Miller. The half would end with a score of 32-24.
In the third quarter, Moody would find some defensive success against Leeds, holding them to just nine points, while scoring 12 themselves and sending us into the final stanza with a score of 41-36.
The final period would prove to be the most exciting one of the night. Moody would close the gap by the 6:06 mark as Johnson would hit a clutch three-pointer that made the score 43-42 Green Wave. That got the fans out of their seats and the place got loud. But the Leeds Green Wave would not be denied on this night. The defense clamped down and the offense responded, slamming the door on the comeback attempt and finishing off the Blue Devils 53-47.
On the night, Tabari Davis and Ronald Miller finished with 13 points each to lead the Green Wave. Moody was led by Aden Johnson, who had 16 points and Carson Dillashaw, who had 15.
“We’ve won two games and both were area games, so that’s good,” said Jeremiah Millington, Leeds’ head coach. “We started really well. We had good attention to detail and good energy. They came out in the second quarter and found a little spark. Dillashaw got loose a little bit inside and they gained confidence. We didn’t handle those situations in the second and third quarter but I’m proud of the way we finished. I’ve seen some growth, which is good.”
Moody looks to get back into the win column Tuesday during a trip to St. Clair County while Leeds looks to building on their momentum at Briarwood Christian Monday night.
