Ariah Scott spent the bulk of her sophomore basketball season dealing with both the pain of a torn left ACL and meniscus and the agony of not being able to be on the court to help her teammates.
This year, she is working her way back and has been a big part of Anderson approaching last season’s victory total just four games into the campaign.
Scott and sophomore teammate Amiya Fleming each posted double-doubles and Anderson outscored Alexandria 25-14 in the second half to avenge a loss last season with a 43-36 win at The Jungle on Tuesday night.
It was the second win — both on the road — for Anderson (2-2) after a three-win season against 22 losses in 2024-25. This win came against a defending sectional champion.
“It’s a great win for our confidence,” Anderson coach Aaron Boyd said. “We can’t come into this game and take them lightly because they’re very well coached. Don’t think for one second that they’re going to lay down for us.”
Scott could also benefit from a confidence boost. While she may be fully back physically, the mental side of an ACL comeback can be just as challenging, if not more so.
And coming off a tough two-point showing in the win at Richmond last Friday, her 11-point, 10-rebound, three-block performance Tuesday could also be just what the doctor ordered.
“I was just thinking I had to get better for my team so we could play better and have a good season,” she said. “I’m making a comeback. It was hard at first getting back on the court and playing again. It can be tough, but you’ve just got to work.”
“It means a lot to me, but more importantly she needed this game and it was great for her,” Boyd said. “The last game she was kind of rushing. ... I told her to slow down and let the game come to her. She’s trying to get her rhythm back and get in the flow. I told her it would come back.”
After four lead changes in the third quarter, Scott gave the Tribe the lead for good with a pair of free throws — she was 7-of-8 in the game — to close the period with a 35-33 advantage.
“The talent doesn’t go away, but the confidence can go down and destroy you if you let it,” Boyd said. “She’s a tough girl. Before it was time for her to come back, she was trying to sneak back on that court. I said, ‘Uh-uh, your mom and doctor aren’t going to get me.’”
Fleming, who finished with a team-best 14 points and 11 rebounds, scored to open the fourth quarter and gave Anderson their biggest lead to that point at 37-33.
But Stella Griffin made three of four free throws over Alexandria’s next four possessions to close the gap to one point with 2:45 left.
Scott then scored out of the timeout on a pass from Nylah Macklin, who then made it a two-possession game when she converted a pair of free throws after forcing one of Alexandria’s 27 turnovers. The Tigers struggled mightily offensively on the night, particularly in the fourth quarter when they were 3-of-8 from the free throw line and did not make a field goal in eight tries.
“I just felt like we played a little scared,” Alexandria coach Mickey Hosier said. “It’s something we’ve got to shore up.”
The brightest spot for Alexandria was junior point guard Laela Dietzer, who led the Tigers with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
After winning their last two games on the road, the Indians will return home for a Saturday evening contest against Lawrence North, while Alexandria welcomes the Yorktown Tigers to the Jungle on Thursday evening.
Both coaches expect to be challenged once again.
“I know they’re going to be fast like us and play aggressive,” Boyd said. “We’ve been working on our full-court, and this will be a good game to see where we stand with quickness that is equal to us or even greater.”
“We’re just trying to get better,” Hosier said. “Even though we beat Blue River on Friday, we were not good to our standard. I felt like we had a good practice Saturday, a good practice yesterday, and a few good things today, but just too inconsistent.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.