Lady Bulldogs dominate in first round of playoffs

Having been to the Top 28 tournament two of the last three years, the Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs know that you have to at least win your first playoff game. The Lady Bulldogs started slow, but ramped up their game in the second half to dominate the Abbeville Lady Wildcats 66-51.
With the win, Ville Platte will return home Monday to take on the Iota Lady Bulldogs in the regional round of the playoffs. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Coming off of the opening tip, both squads got off to rocky starts offensively. In the first five minutes of the first quarter only seven total points were scored between the two teams.
The Lady Bulldogs took the 6-4 lead on a three-point basket by Deja McKinney at the 2:37 mark. That lead would not be relinquished the rest of the game. As the first quarter ended, Ville Platte held an 11-8 advantage.
The two teams exchanged baskets to open the second period. Miya McKinney hit a free throw with 4:46 left to extend the Lady Bulldog lead to 17-12. After a made basket by Abbeville, Ville Platte went on a 6-0 mini run in the next 1:25.
The two sides exchanged buckets until the 1:37 mark, when the Lady Bulldogs scored five unanswered points to end the quarter. When the buzzer sounded to end the half, Ville Platte led 28-20.
The Lady Bulldog offense began to heat up as the third quarter began. Deja McKinney hit two-three pointers and a two-point basket in the first 1:12 to extend Ville Platte’s advantage to 36-20. The rest of the period was a see-saw battle, as both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Wildcats managed to knock down key baskets.
The 16-point Ville Platte lead stayed pretty much intact throughout the rest of the stanza. As the third quarter ended, the Lady Bulldogs owned a 48-30 lead.
Even with an 18-point margin going into the final period, Ville Platte knew they needed to turn up the heat on the Lady Wildcats and put the game away for good. A tremendous defensive effort in the period forced numerous Abbeville turnovers to start the quarter.
The Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs scored 14 of the next 17 points to open up a 62-33 lead with 4:55 left to go in the game.
Ville Platte used the end of the game to freely substitute, giving the Lady Wildcats a chance to make the game a little more respectable.
Leading all Lady Bulldogs in scoring was Deja McKinney, who torched the nets for 36 points. Brianna Pete added 11 points in the win.