Daquaa’s fourth quarter to remember
In the first three quarters, the Hubble telescope would have been hard pressed to find R.E. Lee’s Daquaa Scott.
“Yeah,“ the Lee sophomore said with an embarrassed smile. “I wasn’t doing that good for the first three quarters.“
You guessed it. This photo of Daquaa Scott was taken in the fourth quarter. You know, when she started owning the lane.
Wow, let’s call that one the understatement of the year because, going 0-for-whatever is not a stat line you’re going to see next to Scott’s name often and, after 24 minutes of rock-em-sock-em robot play, that’s exactly what Scott had. And, sure, you may say that Scott shouldn’t be to worried about points as long as she is collecting rebounds, well, um, how can we put this? She wasn’t exactly corralling those off-the-glass mustangs either.
With only eight minutes left to play, Scott hadn’t tossed in a point and had pulled down seven boards—five on the offensive glass. Respectable numbers if your first name isn’t Daquaa or you last name isn’t Scott and if you don’t have the added pressure of being a team’s go-to-girl down low. To say it was frustrating for the Scott would be, well, another great understatement.
“Yes, I was frustrated,“ she said very matter-of-factly. “And if I’m not doing good ...“
Basketball lovers in Staunton shudder to think of that prospect: On the Siegel Center floor, a chance for the girls team to join the boys as a dominant force in the state of Virginia and your chuck-em-out-of-the-paint powerhouse isn’t playing up to snuff. Yeah, that wouldn’t sit too well with the roundball loving crowd and might even force them forget about backboards and take up the Bard.
Then came the final eight and, with no points to her name and those seven boards, Scott decided to go nuts at the right time—her team down by four. And those five offensive rebounds entering the final frame turned into a mind-boggling dozen. In the blink of an eye, those two defensive boards turned into eight. And, with the rebirth of her cousin, Kendra, taking place beside her, Daquaa Scott could not be contained nor could the Cavaliers hope to stop her.
In those eight minutes she poured in 12 points.
“I had to step it up,“ Scott said as her team filed away toward the locker room and the media gathered up their pens, pads and cameras. “And, well, I did.“
Eight minutes. That’s all it took for her to make all the difference in the world for the Lee Ladies.
And another thing: Um, now what were the “experts” saying about Kendra Scott? Again, just asking. And maybe you should start asking too.
So the “experts” are “in the know.“ This is what Kendra Scott looks like contributing. Any questions? Then ask them.
Biggest smile of the day: Tie. Either Kendra Scott entering the media room after her four-block performance that gives any Lee fan the right to slap the next “expert” that doubts her and Jasmyne Carter, the 7-year-old official mascot for the Lee Ladies, after the game. You pick who wins.
Hey, we know how these Lee Ladies act on the court. And it mirrors their coach. Class. Keep the celebrating in the locker room and, yeah, yeah Angela Mickens, we know, “I’ll tell you again,“ she said. “It’s a business trip. There’s still business to do.“ OK, we get it. But, anyway.
So, how are they off the court?
“The girls on our basketball team are the nicest girls that you could ever meet,“ wrote Lee senior A.J. Dobzeniecki. “They all know how to make you laugh.“
So, yeah, there you go.
We’re wondering, with all the attention paid year in and year out to the R.E. Lee boys team, betcha you were wondering what it feels like for the Lee Ladies to step out from under those shadows a bit. Right?
Well, wonder no more.
“Great,“ said Kendra Scott, leaning in close to the microphone. Scott (both of them, Daquaa and Kendra) along with Hartman and Mickens laughed.
“I can now go home and brag to my brother,“ Mickens added. (Just so your “in the know” her brother, Terrell, plays for the Leemen.
“Me too,“ said Daquaa Scott.
Yeah, you know who her brother is.
Now the onus is on the fans. Sure, a few very loud ones came down to the Siegel Center on Tuesday. And, yep, senior Adam Tibbs looked bummed when he told us he takes the SAT on Saturday and won’t be able to make it back for the title game. But now it’s time for R.E. Lee to pack the place and make it black.
So coach Jeremy Hartman allowed himself a brief moment to celebrate Tuesday after making it to the finals. What of it?
“We should be out in full force,“ said coach Jeremy Hartman. “We’ve been trying to get the community to rally around us for a long time. It’s been our boys that get all the pub and support. But now we’re the only show left in town.“
Need another reason to head down to Richmond on Saturday?
“If you come and watch the hard work these young ladies put in, you would have no problem spending $10 to come watch this group of kids early on Saturday morning,“ he added.
So, yeah.
There you go. Now, are you?
