By WILLIAM WEST/Special to the Advertiser

The Isabella and Maplesville girls varsity basketball teams collided on Jan. 13. Both games saw tough defensive battles play out with the Isabella girls varsity and the Maplesville boys varsity grabbing wins.

In the girls matchup, Maplesville’s Kendrauna Griffen scored the basket of the game two minutes into the game.

Isabella and Maplesville traded scores for the first eight minutes of the game, but the Red Devils maintained a slight advantage throughout, closing the first quarter, 9-6.

However, this did not deter the Mustangs. Isabella dominated the clock and the ball in the second quarter, outscoring Maplesville 10-0 and locking down the Red Devils offensively.

Synia Chattman was instrumental in the Mustangs’ success during the quarter with eight points. The first half ended with and Isabella lead, 16-9.

The Red Devils began the third quarter with a dominant performance of their own, outscoring Isabella’s girls squad 9-2 for the first five minutes of the second half.

The Red Devils fought back to tie the score at 18-18.

It was not to last, as the Mustangs again shut down the Red Devils’ offense and countered with an 8-0 run of their own to end the quarter ahead, 26-18.

The fourth quarter played out much like the first with Isabella and Maplesville trading shots back and forth.

Both squads were evenly matched in the final quarter with a score of 12-11.

The point surge did not help close the gap for the Red Devils, as Isabella held the lead at the final buzzer, 38-29.

Isabella’s Synia Chattman led the Mustangs with 16 points. Calyn Washington (six points), Caley Booth (six), Andrea Powell (five), Alexis Owens (three), and Sophie Underwood (two) also contributed to the Isabella win.

Maplesville’s Kendrauna Griffen (15 points) led the Red Devils in scoring, which included six points from three-point jumper shots.

Amber Uptain (12 points) and Megan Weaver (two points) also contributed.