After trailing for the entire first half, the Beulah girls varsity team took its first lead with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. The Bobcats continued to grow it’s slim lead throughout the course of the second half, defeating area opponent B.B. Comer 40-28 on Wednesday night.

The Bobcats came out of the halftime break up one, so in order to try and slow the Tigers perimeter shooting, Beulah head coach Sabrina Milligan changed her defense. She switched her team from the 2-3 zone, two players up top and three inside, to the 1-2-2, one player up top two at the elbows and two inside. 

This allowed Beulah to force turnovers almost every time B.B. Comer tried to make a cross-court pass. 

“We were able to slow them down a little bit,” Milligan said.

The switch on defense almost halted B.B. Comer’s offense as the Tigers scored only 11 points in the entire second half. Six of those points were scored in the final minute of the game when both benches were emptied. 

“They’re [the Beulah players] quick, so I tried to keep someone by the foul line. That way if they get beat, there is someone there to stop the ball,” Milligan said. 

The defensive switch paid off on offense as well. The Bobcats were able to force turnovers and score uncontested layups throughout most of the second half. 

“We were able to get a couple steals and score some easy layups,” Milligan said.

Guard Brandy Phillips played a big role in the win. The freshman scored 18 of the team’s 40 points.

“She’s our MVP,” Milligan said. “She’s quick, she’s athletic, she hustles and she constantly tries to get to the rim.”

Alongside scoring, Philips was the primary ball handler and was able to get inside, fighting for offensive rebounds.

Milligan also brought up Grace Portis and Katie Morris as keys in the win. They finished with a combined seven points, but their primary jobs weren’t to score.

“They’re like Swiss-Army knives, they have to play everywhere,” Milligan said. “They take the ball out, they dribble the ball down court, they come up to break the press.”

Portis had five, while Danielle Williams scored six points off the bench.

“If we can continue to get Danielle to score like she did tonight, we’re going to be a tough out in our area,” Milligan said.

Beulah is now 2-0 in its area and will be back in action on Thursday when it plays Loachapoka in the Lee County Holiday Classic. 

“We’re clicking at the right time,” Milligan said.