Veterans Top Younger Dogs

DAYTON - Dayton alumna Nicole Lockard and her teammates were a bit worried about playing the younger Bulldogs in the second annual alumni game last Tuesday.

After all, the dozen former high school players who hit the court weren't exactly in the best shape. But they decided it was more about coming out and playing, which they did and then some.

The alumni, whose graduation dates went clear back to 1986, beat the 2011 team, 31-19, showing they have what it takes to put games away and have a good time doing it.

"It's fun for us," said Tamira Culley, who graduated in 1994 and played all four high school years on the Bulldogs basketball team. She now works at Dayton Title.

It's the second time the alumni Lady Bulldogs beat the current Lady Bulldogs, which makes Culley's team 2-0, she added with a laugh.

The alumni team had an immediate presence on the court. Their size and practiced moves made the seasoned veterans seem a bit intimidating to the younger players, head coach Clayton Strong said.

"We didn't handle their size really well until the second half," he said. "We had good looks but couldn't finish our shots. They were in better shape than I thought they'd be."

The alumni, who were loosely coached by assistant Bulldogs coach Nikki Fullerton (1986) and Des Jones, registered six unanswered points in the first quarter and were still up 13-4 by the break, thanks to treys and lay-ups from the likes of CamilleWeatherill, Michelle Barker and Kelsey Warren.

"All the girls (alumni) are very experienced players and didn't need a lot of coaching," Jones said. "The players who return for the alumni game are usually the better ones from their year."

Good defense on the part of the older Bulldogs, and poor field goal attempts from the younger ones, pushed the score to 25-12 at the end of the third. The 2011 Bulldogs had their moments though, taking advantage of miscues among the veteran players.

The alumni had the upper hand with lay-ups and deft dribbling, though they also led in fouls. The veteran dogs recorded 17 team fouls against the current Bulldogs' 17.

The 2011 alumni team included Shannon McMillen Lewis (1997), Tamira Ward Culley (1994), Emma Hall (2007), Jaci Dodson-Heinrich (2000), Trisha Dodson-Heinrich (2003), Michelle Barker (2009), Nicole Lockard (2010), Mindy Hodgson (2009), Kirsey Sunderland-Herron (2009), Camille Weatherill (2006), Kelsey Warren (2009) and Nikki Fullerton (1986).

Dayton vs. DHS Alumni 19-31

Day 04811--19

Alum67126-31

Camille Weatherill 9

Michelle Barker 8

Kelsey Warren 4

Nicole Lambert 7

Samura Miller 4

Jessica Tate 4