Basketball Recap: Hanna Tickle Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Ascend Leadership

Clover Garden School won the last time they faced Ascend Leadership and things went their way on Friday too. The Clover Garden School Grizzlies put the hurt on the Ascend Leadership Aviators with a sharp 40-19 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Grizzlies.

Clover Garden School got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Hanna Tickle out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten steals. Tickle's evening made it nine games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Brandi Markham, who posted six points along with seven boards and five steals.

Despite the defeat, Ascend Leadership saw an underclassman step up: freshman Kimari Cross almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 14 rebounds. Cross has been hot recently, having posted nine or more boards the last three times she's played. Samara Tranquille was another key player, putting up no points in addition to 11 rebounds and five steals.

Clover Garden School is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 23.3 points. As for Ascend Leadership, their loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-12.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Clover Garden School will take on Southern Wake Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Ascend Leadership, they are taking a road trip to square off against Chatham Charter at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.