Girls Basketball: Yowana Posey, smothering ‘D’ fuel Marshall victory

Updated: January 15, 2012 8:29PM

Yowana Posey is just a junior. “I still have a year left to play, and I let the seniors get the spotlight,” the Marshall guard said.

Posey made her mark right off the bat, scoring nine points in the first quarter en route to a team-best 17 points the Commandos rode to the convincing 67-45 victory over Rockford Auburn in the MLK Dream Classic Sunday at Young.

“We wanted to come out aggressive and really make stops on defense, because our defense is what starts our offense,” Posey said. She was one of three double-figure scorers as the Commandos (14-4) bolted out to a 39-28 lead at the break.

Seven of the eight Marshall girls that played scored in the first half, led by Posey. “We didn’t want to let them get comfortable out there,” she said. “We wanted to disrupt them on offense, get turnovers and turn that into fast break points.”

Senior guard Marquiesha Grant scored nine of her 16 points in the second half. She scored five points during a 9-4 Marshall burst that opened the second half as the Commandos developed a convincing 21-point bulge (57-36) after three quarters.

After a scoreless second quarter, Posey contributed three additional baskets in the quarter. “I got those baskets early and that gave me a lot of confidence the longer the game went on.” she said.

Senior forward Apiphany Woods scored seven points to go along with eight rebounds and two blocked shots. She also initiated much of the Commandos’ offense, making brilliant passes out of the high post. During one stretch in the third quarter, she assisted three consecutive Marshall baskets.

Auburn (10-13) simply had no answer for the Commandos’ withering full-court pressure. Marshall forced 27 turnovers, typically leading to run outs and scores in transition.

Sophomore Marshall guard Lyric Bryant continued her strong play by scoring eight of her 11 points in the first half.

Sannayyiah Johnson scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Knights.

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