IR’s Mya Whittington stars in win over Sussex Academy
The Sussex Academy girls’ basketball team had to battle both injuries and Indian River during a Jan. 18 game in Georgetown.
Freshman Grayce Glover and sophomore Deborah Williams, Sussex Academy’s starting guards, were out against an Indians team boasting two skilled guards in sophomore Abby Bertling and junior Mya Whittington.
“The way we need to deal with injuries is the next person has to come up and do their part,” said coach Rayona Benson. “We just keep moving. At this point, we’re used to the injuries, so we’ve got to keep going.”
Indian River’s guard play, coupled with the strong inside presence of sophomores Jayla Hudson and Tiarra Waters, made the visitors a force from downtown and in the paint, efficiently shooting their way to a 59-28 victory. Whittington led all scorers with 21 points, 15 from beyond the arc. Bertling added a dozen and Hudson had 10.
A bright spot for the Seahawks was the play of recent returns to the lineup – senior Rachel Carey and junior Emiley Bisaha, who scored 12 points apiece. Benson noted their command on the court was invaluable.
“It’s really good to have them back,” Benson said. “Those girls are leaders out there. We have Rachel who can play inside and on the outside – that helps us tremendously. We have Emiley back, and she’s near automatic getting to the free-throw line. As long as those two are out there, the other players have somebody they can go to for leadership and someone to look up to.”
Sussex Academy's next game is set for 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 23, against Lake Forest.
