By Michael Lindsay
District 7-3A play is underway across the Upper Cumberland as Stone Memorial and Upperman split a pair of league games Friday in Crossville.
The Upperman Lady Bees overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Stone Memorial 45-42 followed by the Panthers taking down defending district-champion Upperman 68-49 behind 28 points by Cade Capps.
Girls
Head coach Dana McWilliams’ Upperman squad opened district play with a victory Friday evening as they won at Stone Memorial, 45-42.
“I was really proud of the girls at the end of the game,” said McWilliams. “We struggled a little throughout the game and made big plays at the end when it mattered.”
Sophomore Taylor Dolente led the Lady Bees with 18 points, all of which came from three-point range as she hit 6 treys. Bella Mullins scored 9 for the Lady Bees along with 8 from Gracie Hamilton.
“I told Bella Mullins, this was maybe the best game she’s had all around since I’ve coached her,” McWilliams said. “She ran our team well and handled the ball well. She was solid all night and was really impressive.”
Kailee Waldo led Stone Memorial with 14 points along with 11 by Rachel Houston.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to an 8-3 advantage early in the first quarter before Upperman closed the frame on a 10-0 run to lead 13-8 entering the second period.
The Lady Bees kept their lead in the second quarter as a Mulllins buzzer-beating layup gave Upperman a 27-24 halftime advantage.
Stone Memorial retook a 28-27 lead early in the second half as a transition pass from Adison Howard led to a to Waldo basket with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter. Upperman retook the lead midway through the frame, but it was the Lady Panthers who took a 36-34 advantage into the fourth quarter.
A low-scoring start to the period saw Houston hit a three-pointer followed by a pair of Mullins free throws to make the score 42-41 Stone Memorial with 3:52 remaining.
The score stood until the 16.2-seconds-remaining mark as Upperman’s Bella Stiles stepped to the free-throw line and sank a pair to give her team a 43-42 advantage.
Following a Lady Panther offensive foul, Gracie Hamilton hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left to seal Upperman’s 45-42 victory at Stone Memorial.
Upperman improves to 15-2 overall and 1-0 in District 7-3A play. The Lady Bees are set to take the court next on Saturday as they host Creek Wood (11-5) in non-district action.
Stone Memorial falls to 7-9 overall and 0-1 in league action. The Lady Panthers are set to take the floor next on Tuesday at White County (18-1, 1-0).
Upperman (45): Taylor Dolente 18, Bella Mullins 9, Gracie Hamilton 8, Bella Stiles 7, Gracie Butler 3
Stone Memorial (42): Kailee Waldo 14, Rachel Houston 11, Chloe Waldo 8, Kortney Headrick 6, Lily Hinch 3
Boys
Stone Memorial opened District 7-3A action Friday with a win over the defending district champions as they defeated Upperman, 68-49.
“Upperman is a fantastic team,” said Stone Memorial head coach Neil Capps. “I’ve got as much respect for Bobby McWilliams as any coach in the country. He does an unbelievable job. To get a win against a Bobby-coached team is a great win. I’m proud of my kids.”
Stone Memorial junior Cade Capps led his team with 28 points Friday, nearing his season average of 29.3 points per game.
“Cade’s getting a lot of attention with double teams and face guards, and he’s getting better at handling it and moving the ball out of those double teams,” said coach Capps. “He loves to play and loves his teammates. You can’t get 28 points unless you have teammates looking for him, and it’s not just the scoring; it’s making plays out of that. He draws two and gets somebody else a good look.”
Preston Mayberry and Brady Lane also hit double-figures for the Panthers with 14 and 10 points respectively.
“We started to get more people movement in the second half and I’m tickled with that win,” said coach Capps. “Every single one of them is important in the district.”
Upperman freshman point guard Ty Cobb led the Bees with 19 points.
“Ty Cobb is only going to get better as he grows and gets experience,” said coach Capps. “He’s already an explosive player and is going to be really special. He’s really good in transition and off the bounce, and I challenged my guys to defend him without fouling.”
A Capps three-pointer late in the first quarter gave the Panthers a 14-5 lead to open the contest. Upperman responded with a 9-0 run as a Cobb basket late in the frame cut Stone Memorial’s lead to 16-14 by the end of the frame.
Upperman forward Bronzden Chaffin sank a free throws early in the second period to tie the contest at 18 points each before an Evan Huddleston three-pointer gave the Bees a 21-20 lead over the Panthers.
A Cobb three-pointer later in the frame pushed Upperman’s advantage to four points (30-26) before Capps answered with a trey of his own on the ensuing possession to cut the Panthers’ deficit to one point, 30-29.
After trading baskets again, Upperman took a 34-33 lead into the halftime break. Capps had 17 points through two quarters while Cobb led the Bees with 16.
Stone Memorial controlled the early portions of the second half as a Capps basket with 2:30 left in the third put the Panthers ahead by 8 points at 45-37.
Upperman pulled within two possessions at 47-43 late in the third before Capps answered with another three-pointer to push Stone Memorial’s lead to 50-43 at the end of the third period.
Cobb cut Upperman’s deficit to 4 points (50-46) early in the fourth quarter, but the Bees never came within one possession as the Panthers extended their advantage out to 9 points (55-46) via a Lane basket with 5:21 left.
Stone Memorial went ahead by double digits with 2:49 remaining as a pair of Capps free throws put Stone Memorial up 59-49. The Panthers closed out the final two minutes strong at the free-throw line as they won by a 68-49 final score. Stone Memorial went 22-23 from the charity stripe in the victory.
The Panthers improve to 11-6 and 1-0 in District 7-3A play while Upperman falls to 11-4 overall and 0-1 in league action.
Upperman has a short turnaround as they are set to face Creek Wood on Saturday afternoon while Stone Memorial takes the floor next on Tuesday in Sparta as they face White County.
Stone Memorial (68): Cade Capps 28, Preston Mayberry 14, Brady Lane 10, Wyatt Grothe 7, Jayden Eldridge 5, Kadyn Page 2, Braiden Elliot 2
Upperman (49): Ty Cobb 19, Evan Huddleston 7, Brayden Roberts 6, Jack Torrence 5, Clayton Harris 4, Branson Turnbow 3, Kam Bush 3, Bronzden Chaffin 2
