The Alva Ladybugs traveled to Blackwell Tuesday night to take on the Lady Maroons. Other than a brief time in the first quarter, the Ladybugs led throughout the game and won 65-24. Morgan Heath didn’t start and played limited minutes with a taped up left shoulder due to an injury.

Senior Carly Argo led the Ladybugs in scoring with a career high of 27 points. She was hot from three-point range, sinking eight treys. Her remaining three points came from the free throw line.

First Half

Lakin Gaddy put the first points on the board for Alva, but Kellyn Botts hit a three-point shot to give Blackwell the lead. Argo answered with a trey to put Alva up 5-3. Argo was fouled as she attempted a shot and made one of two free throws. The Ladybugs held a lead the rest of the game. The Lady Maroons added two points from Samantha Vowel and a trey from Aleah Hankins during the quarter. Argo hit a second three-pointer while Channing Ferguson, Asia Blackledge and Gaddy each added baskets. At the end of the first quarter, Alva led 15-8.

The Ladybugs dominated the second quarter beginning with a 7-0 run with a basket from Hadley Ohm, another Argo three-pointer, and a strip-steal and lay-in by Kylie Adair. Nora Jacobs hit a three-pointer for Blackwell, but Argo answered with three straight treys. Alva now led 31-11. Hankins hit a basket for the Maroons but missed the foul shot that followed. Jaycee Kelln scored a Ladybug basket, was fouled and made the free shot. Blackledge followed with another Alva basket for a 36-13 lead going into halftime.

Second Half

The Ladybugs continued to dominate in the third quarter, holding Blackwell to just four points. Adair started the scoring when she was fouled and made one of two free throws. Jacobs hit a Blackwell basket. The Ladybugs went on a 9-0 run with baskets from Kelln and Gaddy followed by two free throws from Gaddy and Argo’s seventh trey. Nina Glass managed two points at the foul line for the Lady Maroons, and Argo finished off the quarter with her eighth three-pointer. Alva led 49-17 for the third quarter.

Starting the final period, the Lady Maroons stopped Argo’s layup, but Argo still made the points at the free throw line. Adair followed with two trips to the foul line and four points. With Alva leading 55-17, Coach Jeremy Jones started wholesale substitutions. Blackwell was able to add seven consecutive points with a free throw by Maysa Edgar and threes from the twins Kellyn and Kinley Botts. Heath sank a basket off the glass for Alva, and Ferguson added another Ladybug basket. Kambri earned two points on a Ladybug put-back. Ladybug Myah Graves put the last four points on the scoreboard, and Alva won 65-24.

Wrap-Up

Argo led the Ladybugs with 27 points followed by Gaddy with eight, Adair with seven and Kelln with five. Ferguson, Blackledge and Graves had four points each. Ohm, Rhodes and Heath scored two points apiece.

For Blackwell, Kellyn Botts led with six points while Jacobs and Hankins had five each. Kinley Botts had three points, Vowel two and Edgar one.

After a day off, the Ladybugs began round one of the Wheat Capital Tournament at Chisholm on Thursday afternoon against the Chisholm Lady Longhorns.