Synia Chattman (No. 23) goes up for a basket against West Blocton on Saturday, Nov. 19.(Photo by Steven Calhoun)

By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

Isabella’s varsity girls’ basketball team opened the season with a 64-14 blowout against West Blocton.

The Mustangs were the first team to play in Jemison’s Thanksgiving tournament on Saturday. As the crowd trickled in, Isabella put up point after point with no response from West Blocton until after the half.

During the first two quarters of play, Isabella scored 37 unanswered points. Their defense was unstoppable, and they played fast towards the basket.

The visiting Tigers finally found the net early in the third quarter, which gave them a foothold to score seven in the third. Isabella answered by scoring 17 during the third, including a 3-point shot by Kiara Ford to close the quarter at 54-7.

The crowd was roused at the start of the fourth quarter as Isabella’s season opener came to an assured close. The Tigers scored 2 points from free throws and hit a two and a three, while the Mustangs scored 10 points on shots by Synia Chattman and Sophia Underwood.

Chattman was the point leader for the day, scoring 33 points and going 7 for 13 on free throws.

Isabella head coach Jared Day was proud of the season’s beginning.

“I thought we did really good for our first game. We’ve only had about five days of practice,” said Day. “I thought we did a good job running the floor. They played well together and had a great defensive effort.”

Day said the team is going to work on converting turnovers into points and making the easy shots.

After the tournament games, Isabella’s varsity girls will play at Fayetteville High School on Nov. 28.