By Michael Lindsay

District 7-3A play tipped off in Baxter a day early as the threat of inclement weather moved Upperman’s series with Stone Memorial forward a day as the Bees and Lady Bees came away with a pair of double-digit victories.

Girls

A strong second half from three-point range was the difference Thursday evening as the Upperman Lady Bees (17-3, 1-0) cruised to a 71-42 victory over Stone Memorial (6-10, 0-1) in their district opener.

I thought it was a great game for us,” said Upperman head coach Dana McWilliams. “Stone is a really good team and really well-coached. We got settled in after that first quarter; I didn’t think we did as good on the defensive end early. Offensively, we were very balanced tonight and it was fun to watch.”

Gracie Butler led the Lady Bees with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists followed by Sadie South with 13 points and 11 by Taylor Dolente. Ella Harrell added 11 points off the bench.

“We have a lot of good offensive players, and there’s a lot of girls we can put in there that can put up points,” said McWilliams. “Ella Harrell got some big baskets inside and she’s done that in back-to-back games.”

Dolente crossed off a career milestone as she scored her 1,000th-career point via a top of the key three-pointer with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter.

“There’s a lot of really good players on our 1,000-point board,” said McWilliams. “She’s very deserving and has been a joy for me to coach. It’s been fun watching her progress from mostly a three-point shooter to a complete player.”

After a 9-2 start by Upperman, Stone Memorial battled back to take a 17-15 lead over the Lady Bees via an Adison Howard three-pointer late in the first quarter. The Lady Panthers ended the frame with an 18-16 advantage entering the second period.

Upperman retook their lead early in the second quarter as the Lady Bees opened the frame on a 12-2 run to take a 28-20 lead with 4:08 remaining in the first half. A Gracie Butler buzzer-beating layup gave Baxter a 35-27 lead at halftime.

Upperman’s kept the heat on after halftime as the Lady Bees hit seven three-pointers in the third quarter to outscore Stone Memorial 23-8 to take a 58-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Lady Bees held on to their lead in the fourth as the won by a 71-42 final score.

Upperman improves to 17-3 overall and 1-0 in District 7-3A play while Stone Memorial falls to 6-10 and 0-1 in league play. The Lady Bees are scheduled to host Livingston Academy (12-6, 0-1) on Tuesday while Stone Memorial is set to host White County (17-2, 1-0), weather permitting.

“There’s probably no chance we practice Friday or Saturday,” said McWilliams. “Everybody’s going to be on the same page; we all live in the same area.”

Boys

Thursday’s showdown of the two top-ranked boys teams in the Upper Cumberland went to the home team as the #1 Upperman Bees defeated the #2 Stone Memorial Panthers, 62-45.

“That’s a good win,” said Upperman head coach Bobby McWilliams. “You have to hold serve at home. Stone is really talented and have a lot of size. I’m proud of my guys; I thought defensively we were locked in.”

Upperman held the Panthers to a season-low 45 points in the victory.

“Our team defense was better tonight than it’s been,” said McWilliams. “Our communication was a lot better, and in the second half we started rebounding a lot better.”

The Bees were led offensively by sophomore point guard Ty Cobb, who scored 30 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Bronzden Chaffin added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

“This was a big game and that’s what you’re expected to do as a good player,” said McWilliams. “I’m super proud of them; tonight as much as any night, Ty trusted his teammates. Collectively, that was a really good effort.”

Cade Capps led Stone Memorial with 23 points in the loss.

After trading lead throughout the first quarter, a Landon Hall basket with 54 seconds left in the opening frame gave Upperman a 14-13 lead entering the second.

The game stayed neck-and-neck in the second quarter before a Cobb buzzer-beating jumper from the free-throw line gave Upperman a 23-21 lead at halftime.

The Bees extended their lead to 33-27 with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter via a Cobb steal and transition layup. Stone Memorial pulled back within 4 points late in the third before Cobb beat the buzzer again for a three-pointer to give Upperman a 42-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

A Branson Turnbow backdoor layup followed by another Cobb three-pointer extended Upperman’s lead to double digits at 47-37 with 6:35 remaining in the game.

Stone Memorial cut their deficit back to three possessions (47-40) with 4:38 remaining, but the Bees kept their foot on the gas and pushed their lead out to 16 points (58-42) via a transition Chaffin dunk with 1:34 left. Upperman held on to win by a 62-45 margin.

The Bees improve to 14-2 overall and 1-o in District 7-3A play while Stone Memorial falls to 12-5 and 0-1. Upperman is scheduled to host Livingston Academy (11-7, 1-0) on Tuesday while the Panthers are set to host White County (7-10, 1-0), weather permitting.

“We’re not going to be in any better or worse shape than anybody around us,” said McWilliams. “This couple days of rest will be good for us. We’ve been really sick and we’re starting to get back healthy. Rest is our friend, so we’re going to take care of what we need to then get back in here when we can.”