Outside of the first 90 seconds of Friday’s game against Jo Byrns, Cheatham County coach Jim Gibbs thought his team gave it everything they had.
After starting on the wrong side of a 9-0 run, the Lady Cubs (4-3) scored 18 of the next 19 points en route to a physical 64-56 win.
“I know one thing; we have to play with all-out effort,” Gibbs said. “Our emphasis is (if) the ball’s on the floor, it’s gotta be ours. For us to be successful, that’s the kind of effort we have to play with.”
Both teams emphasize intensity, which led to a foul-heavy matchup. The first quarter alone featured a combined nine team fouls and an assessed technical.
By the end of the fourth quarter, the Lady Red Devils had three players foul out, two of which being senior starters Grayson Bryant and Reese Payne.
“It does hurt when your main players play silly and foul out,” said Jo Byrns coach Jessica Holt. “But it is what it is. I think we played very well against a very aggressive team.
“They have to learn from this, but Cheatham County has a wonderful program. I love playing a team like that because it just gets me ready for a district game.”
The Lady Cubs extended their advantage from four to nine between the first and second quarters. They led by as many as 11 in the first half but still fended off a comeback attempt in the end.
Brooke Dowlen scored eight of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Lady Red Devils were unblemished in their first three games and brought it within two possessions late, but their momentum was killed by Payne and Caroline Reed fouling out.
Macie Harter and Montana Lee led Cheatham County with 17 apiece. The Lady Cubs forced 13 Jo Byrns turnovers and held them under their season average in offense.
“Defense sparked our momentum, and for us that has to be something that we do very well,” Gibbs said. “When we play defense well, we’re a pain for people.
“This is a very quality team that has been to sectionals the last two years, and they probably have a great chance to get back there this year. That’s the reason teams like that are on your schedule; you try to get better by playing better people.”
Up next, Jo Byrns hosts Todd County Central (Ky.) on Dec. 6. The Lady Cubs travel to Stewart County the next day.
BOX SCORE:
Cheatham County (64): Macie Harter 17, Montana Lee 17, Ansley Pfeffer 11, Harper Dee 7, Ellie Pardue 6, Katelyn Sisco 4, Lexus Cook 2.
Jo Byrns (56): Brooke Dowlen 24, Grayson Bryant 10, Julia Arms 7, Millie Putnam 7, Reese Payne 6, Caroline Reed 2.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.