MILTON — The first week of West Florida Baptist Academy basketball ended with a pair of Lady Conqueror victories.
WFBA tipped off the season versus Panhandle Christian Conference cross-division foe S.L. Jones Christian Academy Warriors. The Lady Conquerors started hot with 18 first quarter points fueled by long range buckets from McKenzie Parker (3) and Allie Whiting (1). The WFBA defense held the Warriors to 4. The Conqueror offense cooled in the second quarter with only 4 points to the Warriors' 8.
Both offenses got on track after halftime with 17 Conqueror and 12 Warrior points in the third and the fourth ran out 8 to 9, respectively, for a 47-33 Conqueror win.
Whiting led in points (15), Janelle Riley recorded a double-double (10/11), and Ayanna Kelker directed the offense with six assists and zero turnovers. Team shooting percentages were 48% from the floor, 36% behind the arc, and 80% from the line.
Making their Lady Conqueror varsity debuts were Morgan Kemp (2 points), Gracie Kimbrough, Evie Ruryk, and McKenzie Prouse (1 point, one rebound, two steals, one assist).
The end of week 1 featured cross-town, East Division rival Santa Rosa Christian Eagles where WFBA was able to jump out to a lead and hold off a second half Eagle rally for a 32-22 victory. Quarter scores were 10/3, 9/2, 6/7, and 7/10.
Riley led in scoring with 14 points followed by Addi Johnson's 8 and Jayla Williams' 5. Team shooting percentages were 55% from the floor, 0% behind the arc, and 44% from the line. Evie Fredrick made her WFBA varsity debut and recorded four rebounds.
Follow Conqueror sports on Twitter (@WFBAcademy) and Instagram (wfbasports).
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Lady Conquerors win season openers