Freedom girls clinch conference title

Three days without practice might lull some basketball players into a state of laziness.
But not the Freedom girls basketball squad.
The Lady Patriots shook off the icy remains on their shoes and marched into Chase High's gym on Monday and took care of business as usual.
Freedom used some relentless defense to route the Lady Trojans 62-24 en route to winning the 2A/3A South Mountain Athletic Conference regular season crown.
The Lady Patriots stand 11-0 in conference play and 18-4 overall with one regular season clash remaining versus rival Patton High at home on Friday.
"I was a little worried about how we would come out on the road but our defense proved to be our bread and butter again which got us going," said Freedom head coach Amber Fox.
"Jewel Walker continued her solid effort in drawing two charges on the night while Keonna Lewis and Melissa Collett each drew one as well. We are currently leading the state in charges drawn and Jewel is leading as an individual (with 26 total). That is such a selfless act on defense to sacrifice your body for the good of the team and I love how much pride we take in that."
The cousin duo of Chelsea (14 points) and Yolanda (13) Connelly led the Lady Patriots on the offensive end. Freshman back-up point guard Imani Williams contributed nine points in the lopsided loss.
"YoYo and Imani gave us a spark again coming off the bench. YoYo hit two treys. I am thrilled that YoYo and Imani are playing with some much confidence right now," Fox said. "Those two are really giving us a 1-2 punch off the bench and are really complimenting our starting five."
Freedom also received some floor leadership from senior Brittiany Roberts, who also hit a huge three-pointer in the early going. Some reserves made their presence known with some offensive production from Charnell Scott (4 points) and Hayley Dale (4). Collett and Erin Phillips chipped in with two points each while Kayla Nelson, Sarah Yamouti and Samantha Hill contributed on the defensive end.
"We also were able to get some much needed playing time for our reserves tonight. I was so proud of how unselfish they played. They really look for each other," added coach Fox. "We are very excited for senior night (on Friday). We have four very special seniors (Chelsea Connelly, Brittiany Roberts, Keonna Lewis and YoYo Connelly) and we are thrilled to honor them and would like nothing better than their last regular season game to complete an undefeated conference season."

Patriot boys down Chase to complete sweep

The Freedom varsity boys trailed at the break by two points but came out strong in the second half to secure a 75-63 conference win.
The Patriots swept Chase for the season and moved to 12-10 overall and 5-6 in the SMAC with one regular season contest remaining.
Freedom had three double-digit scorers on the evening with junior Jordan Jacotine leading the way with 18 points. Senior Anthony Thomas contributed 17 points while sophomore forward Raymond Beam posted 14.
"The game was close throughout until we took a double-digit lead early in the fourth then held on for the important conference road win," said Freedom head coach Casey Rogers. "We received a tremendous effort down low from both Raymond Beam and Tyler Hensley."

Varsity girls
Freedom 62
Chase 24

Freedom 11 19 20 12 — 62
Chase 5 4 7 8 — 24

Freedom — Chelsea Connelly 14, Yolanda Connelly 13, B. Roberts 5, T. Pearson 2, I. Williams 9, K. Lewis 5, J. Walker 2, H. Dale 4, M. Collett 2, E. Phillips 2, C. Scott 4, Yamouti, Nelson, Hill.
Chase — Kaitlyn Smart 15, Edwards 2, Holcombe 4, Davis 2, Miller 1.

Varsity boys
Freedom 75
Chase 63

Freedom 14 21 14 26 — 75
Chase 16 21 09 17 — 63

Freedom — Darrion Evans 7, Jordan Jacotine 18, Torin Tate 2, Anthony Thomas 17, Bryant Clay 3, Raymond Beam 14, Dean O'Neil 4, Tyler Hensley 6, David Duckworth 4.
Chase — Andrew Scruggs 13, Kishon Crawford 10, Roach 20, Shaneburger 2, Cooper 6, Carlos Watkins 12.