By Michael Lindsay
The Upperman Bees and Lady Bees picked up road victories Thursday evening as they both defeated Clay County in Celina. The Lady Bees opened with a 34-29 victory followed by a 72-52 win by the Upperman boys.
Girls
The Upperman Lady Bees (6-0) kept their undefeated start to the season going Thursday as they won at Clay County, 34-29.
“We survived tonight,” said Upperman head coach Dana McWilliams. “We found a way to win. We missed a lot of easy stuff early and free throws; this is our first true road game.”
Sadie South led the Lady Bees with 12 points off the bench along with 7 from Gracie Butler. Clay County’s Halle Buford led the Lady Bulldogs (4-3) with 11 points while Bella Ashlock scored 9.
“Sadie made big shots when we really needed something,” McWilliams said. “It’s no surprise to me.”
Upperman’s defense held Clay County to 29 points Thursday, which is on par for the season average as the Lady Bees are allowing only 28 points per game so far.
Clay County took an early 7-5 lead over Upperman with 2:05 remaining in the first period before a basket from Bella Stiles and free throw by Gracie Butler gave the Lady Bees an 8-7 advantage after one period.
Lady Bulldog Haylen Garrison drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 10 points each early in the second period before the Lady Bees went on a 10-0 run to take a 20-10 advantage with 2:21 remaining in the half.
A Clay County basket late in the second quarter made the score 20-12 Upperman at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs weren’t done yet as an Ashlock three-pointer cut Upperman’s lead to 22-19 with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter.
A Buford shot in the paint on their next possession brought the Lady Bulldogs within one point (22-21) with 2:08 left in the third period.
After trading three-pointers, South hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Upperman a 28-24 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Another South three-pointer with 5:58 remaining put the Lady Bees up 31-24. Upperman kept Clay County’s deficit at two possessions over the final four minutes as the Lady Bees held on to win by a 34-29 final score.
“We did not play our best and we still game away with a win on the road,” McWilliams said. “We chalk that up as a win and a learning experience.”
The 6-0 Lady Bees are scheduled to take the court next on Friday in a girls-only game against PCA on Friday. Clay County has more than a week off before hosting the Clay County Christmas Classic beginning Monday, Dec. 18.
Upperman (34): Sadie South 12, Gracie Butler 7, Bella Stiles 4, Taylor Delete 3, Korra Bass 2, Gracie Hamilton 2, Ella Harrell 2
Clay County (29): Halle Buford 11 Bella Ashlock 9, Haylen Garrison 6, Natalie Smith 2, Baylor Walden 1
Boys
Upperman’s boys picked up their fifth victory of the season Thursday as the now full-strength Bees won at Clay County, 72-52.
“It’s a great win; coach Rob Edwards does a great job and his team plays with a lot of confidence,” said Upperman head coach Bobby McWilliams. “This is not an easy place to play. We were locked in and able to execute.”
Upperman (5-1) had been missing multiple starters until this week due to the Bees’ Class 4A football state runner-up finish that concluded on Saturday, Dec. 2.
“In the class we play in, only one other coach could have the situation we have,” said McWilliams. “We try to get the football guys in situations they’re comfortable in and do things they know.”
The Bees were led by freshman guard Ty Cobb with 28 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds while Nate Adams led Clay County (4-3) with 19 points.
“Ty is going to take what they give him,” said McWilliams. “He’s really settled in as a freshman and is a really unselfish player.”
After a back-and-forth start, a pair of Nate Adams baskets gave Clay County a 16-12 lead with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter.
Upperman cut their deficit to 16-15 by the end of the opening frame before taking a 19-16 lead on consecutive transition baskets from Cobb.
The Bees extended their lead to double digits with 1:26 remaining in the second period as a Cobb steal and layup put Baxter ahead 34-24.
A buzzer-beating Bronzden Chaffin layup off a Cobb assist gave Upperman a 36-24 halftime advantage.
“We started getting the ball in the right spots against their pressure,” said McWilliams. “Once we settled in the game and figured out how to guard a little better, that helped us on the defensive end.”
The Bees kept control in the second half as they outscored Clay County 19-12 in the third period to take a 55-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Upperman cruised in the final 8 minutes en route to a 72-52 victory in Celina.
Upperman improves to 5-1 overall while Clay County falls to 4-3. The Bees will be in action Saturday evening as they host Siegel while the Bulldogs will have more than a week to prepare for the Clay County Christmas Classic beginning Monday, Dec. 18.
Upperman (72): Ty Cobb 28, Braden Roberts 13, Bronzden Chaffin 10, Evan Huddleston 9, Landon Hall 4, Colton Johnson 3, Jack Torrence 3, Isaiah Helms 2
Clay County (52): Nate Adams 19, Nolan Adams 8, Kyler Westmoreland 3, Weston Birdwell 3, Andrew Smith 3, Cole Eads 3, Wyatt Browning 2, Hayden Adams 2, Hunter Buford 1
