By Karina Serio
Elkton Girls Basketball Coach Gabe Sherrod has been working all season to teach his squad to play basketball the way he was taught to play. In a season that has had a pair of three-game losing streaks, the Lady Golden Elks have run off five straight wins after defeating Tome School 45-29 and Kenwood High School 47-31 on Thursday and Friday nights to close out the regular season.
“I was coached by Givens Jr., but his dad Givens Sr. was always in the gym with me. They just talked all the time about knowing who you are as a basketball player. Being who I was, one of the more dominant players in this area at that time, knowing who I was on the court, knowing what I could do and what I could control,” said Sherrod, “Applying that to being a coach is about now just applying those things to what the whole team can do, what we all can control. I always preach to the girls to play Elkton basketball. Don’t play anybody else’s game but ours. If we do that, we’re gonna be fine.”
Mikayla Jefferson led the scoring for the Lady Golden Elks with 12 points and Payton Hardy added 11 points. “Finally they’re listening. The one thing we talk about is sustaining runs trying to stay patient. Getting in a flow. Just making sure there’s an ebb and a flow to the game.” said Sherrod. “I told the girls every game no matter who you’re playing, it’s gonna be a contest, it’s competitive. Just staying in the ebb and flow, the girls really appreciated the coaching and the learning part of it. They’re really beginning to learn about basketball and how to move and play together.”
Tome School opened an early lead, but then struggled on the road in Elkton. After falling behind in the second quarter, they never mounted a sustained run. Emmersen Peel and Alivia Carillo each scored nine points to lead the Titans in scoring.
