The Monticello Lady Billies began the 2023-24 Basketball Season with a loss to the Barton Lady Bears in the first game of the annual Thanksgiving Tournament in Dermott on Friday, November 24.
It would take almost a minute before the first basket of the contest would be scored on a two by Barton’s Da’Mya Wilson at the 7:02 mark.
Monticello would get a free throw from Zariyah Gaston.
Wilson added another score to go up 4-1 with Gaston getting a second free throw to cut the lead to 4-2.
Barton would go on to outscore the Lady Billies 14-10 in the first quarter with Wilson scoring all 14 of Barton’s points and Gaston and Camyhia Lewis being the high scorers in the quarter for the Lady Billies with four points each.
Both teams would play an even second quarter with the Lady Bears and Lady Billies each scoring 15 points in the quarter.
Gaston would score eight of the Lady Billies 15 second quarter points as Barton would hold a three-point, 28-25, lead at the half.
Barton would begin to pull away from the Lady Billies in the second half.
In the third quarter, Barton would outscore the Lady Billies 19-8 to enter the fourth quarter with a 47-33 lead.
The Lady Billies would come back in the fourth quarter, taking the quarter 13-5 but the Lady Bear lead was too great to overcome as the Lady Billies fell by six points, 52-46.
Leading the way for the Lady Billies was Zariyah Gaston with 13 points with Aunesti Jackson and Freshman Gemma Walker each scoring eight.
Camyhia Lewis and Genesis Freeman each scored four points, Ryah Ridgell and Shakyra Binns each with three, and Saniyah Harrell with two.
Zaniyah Thompson rounded out the Monticello scoring with one point.
