Vina girls down Whitesburg Christian

J.R. Tidwell/FCT Miranda Howard (24) drives by a Whitesburg defender Monday night.

WATERLOO — .The Vina Lady Red Devils beat the Whitesburg Christian Academy Lady Warriors 41-26 during day one of the Waterloo Christmas Tournament on Monday.
The Lady Red Devils were caught up in a close game early on. Vina had a 5-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the first half at 17-12.
Whitesburg Christian narrowed the gap to 18-16 with one minute remaining before intermission, but another 2 points by the Lady Red Devils gave them a 4-point advantage going into the break.
Vina completely changed the game in the second half by coming out in a full-court press.
“We needed more energy out there,” Vina head coach Paul Humphres said.
The Lady Red Devils contested every in-bounds pass, with Amanda Patterson and Beth Spencer guarding the baseline.
Vina created several turnovers in the third and fourth quarters, allowing the Lady Red Devils to go on a 12-5 run in the third for a 32-21 advantage.
Vina continued the press until just before the end of the game. They went into four corners on offense to run out the clock.
The press worked so well that Whitesburg Christian only scored 10 points in the second half, compared to Vina’s 21.
“Any time you get a win it’s a good one,” Humphres said.
Miranda Howard led the Lady Red Devils in scoring with 8 points. Morgan Humphres picked up 8, with Jessica Pickle and Andrea Parrish picking up 4 points apiece. Also scoring or Vina were Patterson (2), Shelby Boyd (2) and Alex Miller (2).
The Lady Red Devils will return to regular season play when they host the Phillips She-Bears on Jan. 6 beginning with the junior varsity teams at 4 p.m.