By Michael Lindsay
Lady Bees Overcome 8-Point Second-Half Deficit To Defeat Cumberland County, 41-39
The Upperman Lady Bees wrapped up the 2023-’24 regular season with a road district victory Saturday evening in Crossville as they defeated the Cumberland County Lady Jets, 41-39.
“I am really proud of them for finding a way to win,” said Upperman head coach Dana McWilliams. “It wasn’t our best night overall, but when we needed to make a big play we did.”
Upperman trailed by as many as 8 points in the second half before coming back to win by 2.
“We challenged them to step up,” said McWilliams. “When we got down, that’s when Gracie made her run. We had to kind of piece it together tonight. I don’t think anybody had an outstanding performance on our end, but we had a lot of good pieces here and there and we put them together.”
The win is Upperman’s second over Cumberland County this week as they defeated the Lady Jets 44-39 on Thursday.
“It was a little different,” said McWilliams. “We’ve had to play somebody back-t0-back before, but not in a 48-hour span.”
Gracie Butler led the Lady Bees with 10 points along with 9 by Bella Mullins and Sadie South. Aliyah Hawkins led Cumberland County with 13 points.
Cumberland County took control early as a Hawkins and-one gave the Lady Jets an 8-3 advantage with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter. Upperman battled back to end the frame with the lead as Taylor Dolente scored with 6.9 seconds left to give the Lady Bees an 11-10 lead.
The Lady Jets retook a 15-11 lead midway through the second quarter via back-to-back baskets from Lauren Clark before consecutive three-pointers by South and Dolente tied the game again at 17. Hawkins closed the first half with a pair of free throws to give Cumberland County a 19-17 lead at halftime.
The Lady Jets extended their lead to 33-25 late in the third quarter on 8 consecutive Wilhite points. Mullins answered with a three-pointer before a pair of Baldwin free throws ended the quarter as Cumberland County took a 34-28 lead into the fourth quarter.
Upperman battled back to retake the lead in the fourth quarter as back-to-back Butler layups gave the Lady Bees a 40-37 lead with 1:30 remaining.
Cumberland County pulled within one point at 40-39 with 1:11 on the clock via a pair of Hawkins free throws, but the Lady Jets got no closer as Upperman held off Cumberland County over the final minute to win 41-39.
The Lady Bees finish the regular season at 24-4 overall and 8-2 in District 7-3A play while Cumberland County falls to 17-9 and 5-5. The Lady Bees enter the postseason as the #2 seed in the district tournament while Cumberland County falls to a tie for third with Livingston Academy.
“It’s a new season and we know that,” said McWilliams. “I couldn’t be more proud of the regular season they had. A lot of close games and things they’ve had to push through. It’s one game at a time and staying focused on the task in front of you.”
Both teams will compete next in the District 7-3A tournament next week at Tennessee Tech University.
Upperman (41): Gracie Butler 10, Bella Mullins 9, Sadie South 9, Taylor Dolente 8, Ella Harrell 2, Bella Stiles 2, Gracie Hamilton 1
Cumberland County (39): Aliyah Hawkins 13, Sydney Wilhite 8, Jalynn Baldwin 8, Lauren Clark 5, Lexi Carroll 3, Daminica Beal 2
Bees Take Down Cumberland County In Crossville, 60-46
The Upperman Bees finished out the 2023-’24 regular season on a 12-game winning streak as they defeated the Cumberland County Jets on Saturday, 60-46.
The Bees finish the regular season at 23-4 overall and 9-1 in District 7-3A play.
“I’m proud of our guys,” said Upperman head coach Bobby McWilliams. “A regular-season win means a lot to these guys. Going through this league and losing only one game is hard to do.”
Upperman’s win over Cumberland County comes 48 hours after a 52-22 win over the Jets on Thursday.
“We came out and played pretty hard, but once the game settled in we had several that through the motions,” said McWilliams. “But I understand it. It’s not like you haven’t played this opponent in a while; we saw them two days ago. It was hard for me as a coach, but overall it was a good game for us.”
A pair of Bees recorded double-doubles in the win as freshman guard Ty Cobb posted 16 points and 11 assists while sophomore Bronzden Chaffin scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Brayden Roberts also scored in double-figures with 14 points. Cumberland County was led by 15 points from Huston Torres and 14 by Sol Sitton.
Upperman took control early as the Bees raced out to a 16-6 lead via a Cobb basket with 1:08 left in the first quarter. The Bees grew their advantage to 12 points late in the second quarter as a Roberts three-pointer gave Upperman a 29-17 advantage with 2:14 left until halftime. The Bees led 29-20 at the break.
Upperman pushed their lead to 16 points on the last basket of the third quarter as a Cobb jumper gave the Bees a 46-30 lead entering the fourth quarter. Upperman closed out strong from there as the Bees won by a 60-46 final margin.
Up next for both teams is the District 7-3A tournament at Tennessee Tech University. The Bees are the first overall seed and will have a bye while Cumberland County will play either Livingston Academy or White County in the first round.
Upperman (60): Ty Cobb 16, Bonzden Chaffin 16, Brayden Roberts 14, Clayton Harris 8, Evan Huddleston 2, Kam Bush 2, Branson Turnbow 2
Cumberland County (46): Huston Torres 15, Sol Sitton 14, Ethan Dixon 7, Nolen Carter 4, Andrew Dennis 3, Isaac Scarbrough 3
