By REID TUCKER
Krista McQueen led Walton to a massive 42-21 district win against perpetual rival Pensacola Catholic, improving to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the district.
The game, held on Walton’s home floor on the night of Nov. 20 was as good as won after the first quarter as the Lady Braves had the lead from the get-go. McQueen scored 12 of her 14 points in the introductory period, and, buoyed by support from Kayla Jackson and the recently returned Deja Tucker (who had to sit out a few games after suffering a concussion in a preseason game), the Lady Braves had an easy 17-4 lead. The Second quarter was similarly a Walton-dominated affair, as Jamaycin Clinch tacked on a 3-pointer and a 2-point jumper and Kierra Washington added a pair of 2s to boost the Braves to a 28-10 halftime lead.
Walton went up by more than 20 points in the third quarter, holding Catholic to a 1-for-7 showing from the floor while the Lady Braves themselves fared much better at 3-for-8, even if the action on the floor was deliberate rather than fast-paced. Clinch and Tucker both made shots from 3-point range in the period although the Braves scored only eight points as a team, with McQueen adding the last two.
Turnovers killed any hope of a comeback for the Lady Crusaders, as they gave the ball to their opponents seven times in the final quarter, even as Walton slowed the pace of a game to a crawl after establishing what would be the final score with a minute to go. Hanna Flemmings was Catholic’s one bright spot in the fourth, scoring a nice brace of 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to keep Walton from holding on to its irreversible 26-point advantage. A Lady Braves shot at the buzzer didn’t go, but it didn’t matter, as Walton had already tied up the last game before their Thanksgiving tournament, held at Choctaw High School in Fort Walton Beach.
