Dec. 24—MT. JULIET — Wilson Central sank 11 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter to take the lead and hold it in a 56-52 win at Green Hill.
Brooklyn Evert broke a 45-45 deadlock with two from the line with 3:39 to play and the Lady Wildcats barely kept the Lady Hawks at bay as they pulled even at 6-6 for the season.
Green Hill had the early momentum as the Lady Hawks took a 21-13 lead at the first-quarter break. The Lady Wildcats, who trailed by 10 points during much of the first half, cut the margin to 29-27 going into halftime on a 3-pointer by Olivia Kinning.
The Lady Hawks went back up by 10 at 41-31 before another Kinning trey pulled Central into a 41-41 tie with seven seconds left. An Evert free throw with .7 second remaining put the Lady Wildcats in front 42-41 going into the fourth.
“We kind of played hair on fire there for a little bit,” Lady Wildcats coach Jason Knowles said. “We settled in. We started getting the ball in to Brylee (Fly) and it really settled us down as a team offensively. She did a great job finishing there and getting to the free-throw line. Was able to get them in foul trouble and change the tempo of the game to more of our pace.”
“They shot 29 free throws (for the game),” King said of the Lady ‘Cats. “They were making free throws. We knew they are good at driving. They were able to get in the lane. Our gaps were not that great. They were able to get where they wanted to get to and make free throws.”
Eliana Ramsey hit all eight of her free throws as she and Fly each scored 13 points to lead the Lady Wildcats. Kinning’s three triples made up the bulk of her 11 points. Evert added seven points, Kylie Moss six in the second half and Alexis Jackson and Kiley Jo Byrom a first-quarter 3-pointer apiece. Fiy secured seven rebounds and blocked three shots while Evert pulled down six and had four steals.
Julia Varpness led the Lady Hawks with 17 points, including a pair of 3s. Sullie Gerik scored all 10 of her tallies in the first quarter. Alyssa Potier put in nine, Katyira Tollert seven, Regan Perkins and Willa Heilman three each, McKinlee Stone two and Emma Savage a free throw as Green Hill fell to 5-5 under first-year coach Cody King.
“It’s a new environment,” said King, who came to the Hill this summer from Sycamore. “I got here late. I didn’t really have a summer with this team. I was trying to caution people as we got into things it’s a new system. It’s a new way of playing. I’m a new coach. We’re getting back healthy. We’ve been challenged. We had a tough early schedule. But everyday we’re just trying to get better.”
Several of his players were among the 2023 Lady Hawks state semifinal team who were honored during the boys’ halftime.
“We’ve got great senior leaders,” King said. “They want to win.”
Wilson Central turned around to take on Melrose at the Kerry Malone Power Games on Saturday morning at Lebanon’s Campbell Brandon Gym/Hester Gibbs Court, defeating the Golden Wildcats 65-32.
The Lady Wildcats led 17-9 at the first-quarter break and 41-17 at halftime as they improved to 7-6.
Evert and Moss each threw in 13 points and Byrom 10, including a pair of 3s, for Central. Ramsey sank 6 of 8 free throws on her way to nine while Kinning finished with five, Fly and Alexis Jackson four each, Callie Turner three and Jordan Sasmore and Victoria Campos two apiece. Evert had five steals while Moss and Ramsey each secured six rebounds.
The Lady Wildcats will take the rest of the holidays off and return to action Jan. 3 when they host Mt. Juliet.
Green Hill went to Independence on Saturday for a midday game against Kirkwood. The Lady Hawks will play Dec. 27-29 in Liberty Creek’s tournament, opening against Macon County.
Lebanon continues hot streak with two Power Game winsLebanon’s girls broke the .500 barrier for the season by whipping Lee (Huntsville, Ala.) 55-16 last Friday and Ensworth 61-42 Saturday in the Kerry Malone Power Games at Campbell Brandon Gym/Hester Gibbs Court.
Against Lee, Lebanon led 23-5 following the first quarter
Ellie Beth McDonald led Lebanon with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Maggie Kelley and Tramaria Neal each added eight, Tiara Spencer seven, Ro Dowell six, Naleiya Withrow-Walker and Kiah Seay five apiece and K’Naya Williams a free throw. Dowell had eight rebounds and four steals while Withrow-Walker finished with five deflections.
Against Ensworth, Lebanon led 13-12 at the first-quarter break, 32-19 at halftime and 47-33 going into the fourth as the Devilettes won for the sixth time in their last seven games to improve to 6-4.
McDonald again had the hot hand with 21 points, including three triples. Kelley added 11 points and Keeli Davis 10. Dowell added eight,Spencer six, Neal three and Samia Payne two. McDonald also pulled down six rebounds and grabbed five steals while Withrow-Walker passed for eight assists.
Nori Jamison tossed in two triples to lead the Lady Tigers with 16 points while Alana Wells supplied 10.
Lebanon will head to Destin, Fla., for the Beach Bash on Friday, Saturday and Monday.
Lady Tigers absorb first loss, finish third at Smoky MountainGATLINBURG — Watertown’s girls suffered their first loss of the season last Friday, falling to Jasper (Ala.) 35-31 in the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic semifinals at Rocky Top Sports World.
The Lady Purple Tigers bounced back Saturday with a 42-39 win over Baylor to claim third place and a 10-1 record entering Christmas.
Watertown led Jasper 21-17 at halftime before the Vikings dominated the third quarter 13-3 to go up 30-24.
Mariman Rigsby led the Vikings with 11 points.
Molly Followill flipped in a pair of 3-pointers to lead the Lady Tigers with 12 points while Macie Brelje added 11 from inside. Izzie Burns finished with five points and Julianna Pruitt a 3.
The Lady Tigers led Baylor 12-5 at the first-quarter break, 20-11 at halftime and 32-26 through three periods.
Followill scored 16 points, including a pair of 3s, while Brelje finished with 14. Dailey Hit also hit a couple of triples on her way to eight. Pruitt pitched in three and Larkin Cherry a free throw.
Watertown will host its annual THW Christmas Tournament on Friday, Saturday and Monday. The Lady Tigers will take on Battle Ground Academy at 6 p.m. Friday and either Clarkrange or Huntland on Saturday. Cookeville, Tullahoma, Westmoreland or DeKalb County await Monday. Games will tip off each day at 9 a.m.
