By Michael Lindsay
White County traveled to Crossville Tuesday evening for a pair of District 7-3A contests as the visiting Warriorettes and homestanding Panthers picked up victories. White County won the girls contest 73-56 followed by a 46-39 win by Stone Memorial’s boys.
Girls
A balanced offensive attack led the White County Warriorettes to a road district win Tuesday as five Warriorettes hit double figures in their 73-56 victory at Stone Memorial.
“I thought we played well for four quarters,” said White County head coach Michael Dodgen. “Mike (Buck) has a good team and they don’t go away. He’s got two good-sized post players that know how to play. They’ve been in every district game, and obviously beat us at our place. It was a good win on the road to keep us where we need to be.”
White County (23-2, 6-1) was led by 16 points each from sophomore guards Lakelyn Grasty and Gracie Clark along with 14 points from forwards Ava Jones and Celeste Reed and 11 by Bella Winningham.
Reed recorded a double-double as she pulled down 10 rebounds along with 14 points while Jones recorded 7 boards and 4 blocks.
“I don’t know the last time we had five in double figures,” said Dogen. “I thought we did a great job tonight on the offensive and defensive boards. Ava and Celeste did what they do every night, and our guards were really good. Gracie Clark and Bella Winningham were really good on both ends.”
Kortney Headrick led Stone Memorial (9-13, 2-5) with 23 points.
White County took an 8-point lead midway through the first period as a pair of Jones free throws gave the Warriorettes a 10-2 advantage.
White County held an 18-12 lead entering the second period where they extended their lead to 13 points (27-14) via a Winningham 3-pointer with 4:15 remaining until halftime. The Warriorettes led 35-21 at the break.
“We’ve seen about every defense you can see,” said Dodgen. “Our kids are stepping up and answering the challenge every night.”
White County grew their lead to 20 points (50-30) via a Clark transition layup with 3:37 left in the third period. Stone Memorial battled back to cut their deficit to 54-40 entering the fourth quarter.
The Warriorettes held their double-digit lead through the entirety of the fourth quarter as they won by a 73-56 final score.
Tuesday’s win over Stone Memorial avenges White County’s lone District 7-3A loss, a 51-48 defeat in Sparta on Jan. 9.
“I hope we took that to heart,” said Dodgen. “Stone outplayed us on January 9, and credit to those kids on how hard they played.”
White County improves to 23-2 overall and 6-1 in district play while Stone Memorial falls to 9-13 and 2-5. The Warriorettes return to Crossville Friday as they face Cumberland County (16-6, 4-2) while Stone Memorial travels to Livingston Academy (15-9, 2-4)
“We stay even right now and have to go on the road Friday to Cumberland County,” said Dodgen. “It doesn’t get any easier for anybody. There’s not an easy game on anybody’s schedule in this league.”
White County (73): Lakelyn Grasty 16, Gracie Clark 16, Celeste Reed 14, Ava Jones 14, Bella Winningham 11, Ashlyn Selby 2
Stone Memorial (56): Kortney Headrick 23, Kailee Waldo 13, Lily Hinch 6, Rachel Houston 6, Adison Howard 4, Ashley Whittenburg 4
Boys
The Stone Memorial Panthers picked up a key District 7-3A victory Tuesday as they defeated White County, 46-39.
“Patience was big,” said Stone Memorial head coach Neil Capps. “We knew after last time that they were going to be patient and slow the ball down. We were able to stretch it out and get a lead, but they kept crawling back. We lost focus and started turning the ball over while they started getting some momentum. I’m proud of the way we were able to fight and claw down the stretch.”
Junior guard Cade Capps led Stone Memorial with 20 points along with 11 by senior forward Brady Lane. Sophomore point guard Tripp Pinion led White County with 24 points in the loss.
“That was a big district win for us,” said coach Capps. “We knew that even though we were at home, Sparta wasn’t going to come in here and roll over.”
A low-scoring first quarter saw Capps hit Braiden Elliot on a buzzer-beating backdoor lob to give Stone Memorial a 6-4 lead entering the second period.
Stone Memorial extended their lead in the second quarter as a Capps three-pointer with 3 minutes left until halftime gave the Panthers a 14-4 advantage. Stone Memorial led 18-8 at the break.
“Defense is something we have to key on,” said Capps. “Defense will keep you in games when you’re not knocking down shots. We were able to gather back in during the fourth quarter and get some stops.”
The Panthers extended their lead to 15 points midway through the third quarter as a Capps and-one followed by a floater gave Stone Memorial a 33-18 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the frame.
White County didn’t go away as the Warriors went on a 9-0 run over the ensuing minute to cut their deficit to 33-27 with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Neither team found the bottom of the net for the rest of the quarter as Stone Memorial entered the fourth quarter with a six-point advantage.
The Warriors cut their deficit to one point with 4:29 remaining as a pair of Pinion free throws made the score 35-34.
Stone Memorial answered as an Elliot three-pointer on the ensuing possession followed by a Preston Mayberry transition layup extended the Panthers’ lead to 40-34 with 2:45 remaining.
Following another pair of Pinion free throws, Stone Memorial responded with a basket from Mayberry and a putback by Elliot to take a 44-36 lead with 1 minute left.
“Braiden Elliot had a nice fourth quarter for us,” said Capps. “He created extra possessions for us with offensive rebounds and put-backs.”
The Panthers held off White County from there as they won by a 46-39 final score.
“I’m a firm believer to win postseason games, you have to play defense, rebound and be able to execute sets in the half-court,” said Capps. “It’ll get you looks late in games. You want to keep the kids comfortable when it’s chaotic. If we’re going to do anything in February and hopefully March, it’s going to take all five guys. I was so happy for those guys that made those plays.”
Stone Memorial improves to 15-8 overall and 5-2 in District 7-3A play while White County falls to 9-10 and 4-3. Up next for the Panthers is a trip to Livingston Academy (15-10, 3-3) on Friday while White County travels to Cumberland County (5-17, 1-5).
Stone Memorial (46): Cade Capps 20, Brady Lane 11, Braiden Elliot 7, Preston Mayberry 6, Jayden Eldridge 2
White County (39): Tripp Pinion 24, Cole Sims 11, Lucas Smith 4
