Ben Lippen’s senior point guard Lydia Wu brings the ball up the cour t while being guarded by Hammond’s Amelia Green. Wu finished with a career high 15 points. Photo by Erin Walther A 15-point performance by Ben Lippen senior guard Lydia Wu led the Lady Falcons (10-10) to a home victory over the Hammond Lady Skyhawks (6-13) with a final score of 53-31 Friday, January 27. Ben Lippen’s Corrie Hester, daughter of Hammond and USC basketball legend Martha Hester, also scored 15 points.

The Lady Falcons outmanned their rivals at almost every position on the court, and Wu beat the harassing Hammond press repeatedly single-handedly.

The Lady Falcons took a commanding 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Wu played off Hester and Hannah Austin executing a handful of give-and-goes to perfection for several easy baskets.

Guard Amelia Green led the Lady Skyhawks with 13 points, followed by Clara Castles who added five points and several re- bounds.

The Lady Falcons held on to their early lead going into halftime with a 35-11 lead over the young Lady Skyhawks, thanks to a buzzer-beating shot by Wu. The second half was much like the first, in which the Lady Falcons controlled the ball and took wise shots.

The Lady Skyhawks look to rebound from this loss against the Augusta Christian Lady Lions Friday, February 3. As for the Lady Falcons, they will take a week off and re-enter league play against Augusta Christian Tuesday, February 7.