(Banner Staff Photo by Doc Smith) Above, senior post Ashley Ricci goes up strong with the left-handed bucket in the Lady Panthers rout of Chapel Hill, 68-15 recently at Panther gym. Ricci scored 12 points in the win over the Lady ‘Dogs as Bullard improved to 20-8 on the year and 4-0 in district play. BULLARD – The Bullard Lady Panthers ‘Defense by Committee’ has paidits dividends in creating turnovers and easy breakaway baskets for the local state ranked locals.

It was more of the same at Panther gym last week, as the 17th-ranked Lady Panthers took all the bark of the Lady Bulldogs from Chapel Hill, in a 68-15 shellacking.

Emmy Long built the first 10-point lead at the 4:37 mark, with an old-fashioned 3-point play with her made freethrow. The first period ended with the 13-3 cushion, as Ally Covalt knocked down a couple of freethrows to end the period.

Senior post, Ashlet Ricci scored two of her 12 points at the 3:38 mark, for the 20-point lead at 23-3. Minta Spears driving scoop tacked on the final bucket of the half, for a 33-6 Bullard resting point.

Spears added to her game-high 13 point total, to start the second half with a left-handed reverse, and later in the quarter, Christina Hatten canned a breakaway basket, for a 48-8 Lady Panther thriller.

The game wound down with easy breakaways, courtesy of Spears and Samantha Phillips assists, as Ricci and Kayla Welling scored four of her 10 points, and Covalt closed out the scoring in the third period with four-straight freethrows and a 55-10 cliffhanger.

Later in the fourth period, Phillips popped in one of her two 3-pointers, for the largest lead of the game at 68-15, to finish out the Bullard entourage of scoring.

The girls JV was led by Heather Anding with three 3-pointers, and scoring seven of her team-high 13 points in the second half, as the Lady Panthers junior varsity took a 40-29 win in the early game.

A stout Bullard defense held Chapel Hill to single digits, the first and last two periods.

Lady Panther point guard, Kylee Nichols was in double-digits again, with 12 points, knocking down three treys of her own in the win.

The Lady Panthers will continue their district run against Tatum on Friday night in a special ‘Coaches vs. Cancer’ Game that will benefit the American Cancer Society.

Tip off for the girls junior varsity with Tatum will be 5 p.m., at Panther Gymnasium, followed by the girls varsity at 6 p.m.

District 17-3A Girls Basketball
Varsity Game
Bullard 68, Chapel Hill 15
Chapel Hill 3 3 4 5 - 15
Bullard 13 20 22 13 - 68

CHAPEL HILL – Whitney Justice, 10; Jayna Adams, 1; Shanda seaton, 2; Jasmine Timms, 2.

BULLARD – Emmy Long, 3; Ashley Ricci, 12; Ally Covalt, 7; Samantha Phillips, 6; Minta Spears, 13; Ashlee Shidler, 3; Christina Hatten, 12; Kayla Welling, 10.

THREE POINT GOALS – CH: Justice. B:S. Phillips (2), Spears. RECORDS – Bullard ( 20-8; 4-0). Chapel Hill (0- 4)

NEXT UP – Tatum at Bullard, Fri., 6 p.m.

Junior Varsity Game
Bullard 40, Chapel Hill 29
Chapel Hill 1 11 8 9 - 29
Bullard 16 5 14 5 - 40

CHAPEL HILL – Williams, 2; Ford, 5; Folks,4; Kama, 1; Jones, 3; Turner, 3; Mayfield, 4; Polk, 4; Winston, 2; Emmons, .

BULLARD – Kylee Nichols, 12; Chelsie Southerland, 5; Chelsea Foreman, 2; Heather Anding, 13; Devin Soto, 1; Linden Lee, 7.

THREE POINT GOALS – CH: none. B: Nichols (3), Anding (3), Southerland.. NEXT UP – Tatum at Bullard, Fri., 5 p.m.