BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
MOREHEAD — The OPB Swish came out of the gate and blitzed the Steel City Queens July 11 opening the Women’s American Basketball Association season with a 106-71 victory at Rowan County High School.
OPB’s deep roster clicked on both ends of the floor. 12 players hit the scoring column and the team dished out 30 assists and grabbed 41 rebounds.
Former University of Kentucky and WNBA standout Makayla Epps flashed brightly in the opener. She recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 16 assists. She also grabbed three rebounds and buried three shots from 3-point range.
Martin County native and OPB owner Carla Booth played a key part in the winning cause with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Booth was locked in from deep. She tickled the twine on four of her seven attempts from beyond the arc.
Booth starred for the Martin County Lady Cardinals before continuing her playing career at Alice Lloyd College. She founded the OPB Swish in 2024 and has guided the organization to the WABA Final Four in each of its first two seasons.
Former Transylvania University player Kennedi Stacy also had the three-ball working. Stacy buried four of six shots from 3-point range on her way to 12 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Stacy played her high school basketball at Magoffin County, one of Martin County’s rivals in the 57th District and 15th Region.
Nee Nee and T. Banks chipped in 10 points apiece. Nee Nee added five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Banks recorded one rebound and one assist and connected on a 3D shot for good measure.
Javonna Layfield nearly finished with a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. She also recorded one assist and two steals while converting four of eight attempts from the floor.
Dasia Thorton rounded out the group of nine-point scorers. She grabbed five rebounds, dished out one assist and blocked two shots while finishing a smooth 4-for-4 from the field.
Emoni Washington netted seven points and pulled down three rebounds. Mina Seck chipped in six points and six rebounds while converting three of five shots from the floor.
Lauren Fech also finished with six points after burying two three balls. Joy Gorman added four points.
Former Alice Lloyd College player Hannah Kash tallied two points, dished out two assists and recorded two steals. Richel McGraw added one blocked shot.
As a team, OPB flat-out shot the basketball. The Swish finished 14-for-30 from 3-point range, 26-for-44 on 2-point attempts and 8-for-12 at the free-throw line.
The Swish also collected eight steals and three blocks while turning the ball over only nine times.
Booth will guide her squad in Michigan on July 25 for the second game of the season.