Isabella’s pressure defense can be such a headache for opponents, as was the case against Verbena where the Mustangs earned a 61- 37 road victory on Friday.

“We started out a little slow, but were able to get in a rhythm by scoring some baskets and getting into our pressure,” Isabella head coach Jared Day said.

Once the pressure was turned up, the Verbena turnovers began adding up and the deficit grew as a result.

“A lot of our offense comes from our defense and creating turnovers,” Day said.

The primary source of the Red Devil offense was JaNiya White, who contributed 20 of Verbena’s 37 points.

According to Day, the Verbena point guards did a good job of breaking through the Mustangs’ full-court pressure defense, which Isabella has become known for in recent seasons.

Due to the big lead, the Isabella reserves were able to play the entire fourth quarter.

That experience is something that Day hopes is a positive and something that can be built upon later in the season to provide consistent depth.

Synia Chattman and Kiara Ford were a dangerous combo at the point guard position, as Chattman finished with a 21 points, while Ford was not far behind with 17 in the game. They each had six steals on the night.