Savannah Steel unveil first mascot Belle, fall to Jacksonville Waves

SAVANNAH, Ga. —

The Savannah Steel celebrated a franchise first Friday night, introducing their first-ever mascot before taking on the league-leading Jacksonville Waves at Enmarket Arena.

During their inaugural season, the Steel unveiled Belle, a female dog mascot the organization says will serve as the “voice of the team” while helping continue to build the franchise’s identity throughout Savannah.

The team had teased the reveal all week on social media before introducing Belle to fans.

Officials said Belle represents the combination of the Steel’s tough, gritty identity and Savannah’s railroad history.

“We wanted something that was cute and fierce, and dogs fit that bill really well,” a team official said. “A lot of what this team is building is around the history of railroads in Savannah and that tough, gritty mentality. What better way to represent that than with Belle signaling the movement of the team down the tracks? That was the idea behind it.”

After the mascot reveal, the Steel looked to celebrate with a win against the top team in the UPSHOT League, but Jacksonville pulled away for a 76-58 victory.

The loss gives the Waves a 2-0 lead in the five-game series while continuing their regular-season success against Savannah.

The Steel entered the matchup shorthanded, dressing just seven active players with two coming off the bench. Assistant coach Toccara Ross served as interim head coach, with head coach Coretta Brown on a leave of absence to attend to a personal family matter.

Jacksonville jumped ahead early after a defensive battle to start the game. The Waves held an 8-6 lead before going on a 9-2 run to take control and led by as many as 29 points.

The Waves shot 51.7% from the field and had three players score in double figures, led by Shyanne Sellers with 14 points. Rennia Davis added 12 points, while Jasmine Walker finished with 11.

Despite the loss, Savannah found a bright spot with a breakout performance from Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who led the Steel with 17 points. Zee Spearman added 12 points, while Lauryn Taylor finished with 10.

The Steel also shot 14-of-16 from the free-throw line, but struggled offensively overall, shooting 30.9% from the floor.

Veteran guard Que Morrison added nine points and three steals for Savannah.

The Steel will look to bounce back in Game 3 of the series Sunday, July 12, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. at Enmarket Arena. Savannah expects to have additional depth available with the return of Alisia Jenkins and Lasha Petree.