By Michael Lindsay
The DeKalb County Lady Tigers picked up their 11th win of the season Friday as they defeated Stone Memorial (7-16, 0-7), 51-47.
“We knew Stone was going to come in and play as hard as they could,” said DeKalb head coach Brandy Alley. “It’s really good for us coming off an Upperman loss. Being on your home court and getting a win is always nice.”
DeKalb County (11-10, 3-4) was led by 18 points each from Avery Page and Ella VanVraken. Madison Martin also hit double figures with 10 points.
Stone Memorial was led by 15 points from Kailee Waldo and 13 from Rachel Houston.
The Lady Tigers came out hot, taking a quick 7-0 lead 1:15 into the game. Stone Memorial then settled in and went on a 9-4 run to trail 11-9 after the first quarter.
The teams traded baskets early in the second period before a Kailee Waldo basket with 2:30 left in the second period gave Stone Memorial their first lead of the contest, 18-17.
With the second-quarter clock ticking down, SMHS freshman Ashley Whittenburg hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to send her team to the locker room leading 25-20.
Stone Memorial went ahead by 6 points (29-23) early in the third period before DeKalb County answered with a 12-1 run to lead 35-30 late in the third.
The fourth quarter saw 8 ties or lead changes, the first of which came via a Rachel Houston three-pointer to open the period, tying the game at 35.
DeKalb County took a 46-44 lead via an Ella VanVraken layup with 1:50 remaining before Houston answered with a Stone Memorial three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving SMHS a 47-46 lead with 1:31 to go.
VanVraken again hit a layup to retake the lead for DeKalb County (48-47) with 53 seconds left. After a defensive stop, Martin hit a free throw with 27 seconds remaining to push the DCHS lead to 49-47.
DeKalb stepped up defensively once more with 7 seconds remaining as they stole a Stone Memorial inbounds pass that led to two Chloe VanVraken free throws, icing the game by a 51-47 final score.
“Chloe came in as a freshman and handled it with poise,” Alley said. “She had a moment in the late third where she made a few turnovers. We pulled her and talked to her, and when she went back in she was a whole new player. To finish the game with two free throws was great.”
Up next for DeKalb County is a trip to White County (17-7, 4-3) on Tuesday. Stone Memorial hosts Cumberland County (16-5, 5-2) on Tuesday.
DeKalb County (51): Avery Page 18, Ella VanVraken 18, Madison Martin 10, Chloe VanVraken 5
Stone Memorial (47): Kailee Waldo 15, Rachel Houston 13, Kortney Headrick 9, Adison Howard 7, Ashley Whittenburg 3
