Girls Basketball: Lyric Bryant’s second-half shooting lifts Marshall

Updated: January 14, 2012 5:45PM

Dorothy Gaters is very hard to please. It is natural byproduct of a program that has won a state record seven girls state basketball titles and made Gaters the state’s career victory leader.

“I’ve set the bar very high,” she said, “and I expect us to play a certain way. We’ve had a drop off in talent, but that’s kind of natural and it happens to every team.”

The players sense the pressure, too. “When you play for Marshall, teams fear us but at the same time they want to beat us,” senior guard Marquiesha Grant said.

Thanks to the striking play of its youngest starter and the sharp fourth-quarter play of Grant and senior forward Aphiphany Woods, the Commandos overcame some sloppy play to handle Parkway Academy of Miramar (Fla.) 48-40 in the MLK Dream Classic at Young Saturday morning.

Lyric Bryant, a sweet-shooting sophomore guard, scored 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Commandos (13-4). It was the steady play of Woods and Grant, the only two returning starters from last year’s squad that finished fourth in Class 3A.

“It’s been tough at times this year, and I’ve struggled with the way my game has changed,” Woods said. “We lost our leading scorers from last year, and that means I’ve had to step up.’’

Bryant drilled two three-pointers in the third quarter, but the Commands held only a 27-26 lead entering the fourth quarter. Woods went to work. The athletic forward scored eight of her 12 points in the final quarter as Marshall. Her relentless pounding off the offensive glass created opportunities for Grant and Bryant.

Bryant scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Grant scored six of her 11 points in the final frame as the Commandos ended the game in style with a 21-point fourth quarter.

Sophomore center Ebony Griffin scored 12 points to lead the Panthers.

The perfectionist Gaters said she saw nothing to be excited about. Her players know differently. “Coach Gaters has a lot of high demands and expectations for us,” Grant said. “We want play up to her standards. We’re always going to play hard and rebound, and that’s what we did today.

“If you give us five players on the floor, we’re always going to compete,” she said.

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