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Girls’ battles tougher than boys’ meetings in tourney openers

Girls’ battles tougher than boys’ meetings in tourney openers

Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 12:00 pm

By RANDY CAVIN
Press Sports
The Weakley County Middle School Basketball Tournament got under way on Saturday with four games.
Gleason and Dresden advanced in the girls’ bracket, while Greenfield and Martin advanced in the boys’ brackets.
The Lady Bulldogs beat Sharon 31-24 and the Lady Lions beat Martn 44-39. The Yellowjackets eliminated Gleason 53-19 and the Panthers took care of Sharon 65-27.
GIRLS
Gleason 31, Sharon 24
The Lady Bulldogs (8-6) and Lady Eagles (8-7) battled it out four full periods with Lillian Nichols leading Gleason.
Her 2-point shot with 42 seconds to play made it a two-possession game with the score 28-24. Sharon had a couple of chances to score but could not get a clean look at the basket.
Nichols led all scorers with 15 points and scored six of Gleason’s eight points in the final period.
Gleason led 7-4 after one, and Sharon took a 17-14 lead at the half on Page Simpson’s 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play.
Kelsey Borneman tied it at 17 with a 3-pointer. Sharon’s Lexiey Mealer then tied it at 19 after Nichols gave the Lady Bulldogs a two-point lead. Jayden Green’s basket with 2:14 to play in the third gave Gleason the lead for good.
Simpson and Makelle Milligan both scored 11 for the Lady Eagles. Maycie Rollins and Mahlese McDonald each scored four points for Gleason. Borneman and Green added three each.
Dresden 44, Martin 39
Dresden (10-3) got some clutch shots at the free throw line and held off Martin (7-5).
Rylee Bell hit a short jumper with 2:17 to play in the game to give Dresden a 40-37 lead, and Millie Bryant hit a pair of free throws to make a two-possession game with just over a minute to play.
Tasia Jones was fouled with 22 seconds to play and made both free throws to cut the lead down to 42-39, but Callen Killibrew hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe after she fouled to ice the game for the Lady Lions.
The game was tight the entire way with the Lady Panthers taking an early 4-0 lead before the Lady Lions came back with a 6-1 run. Killibrew gave Dresden an 11-7 lead on her 3-pointer then Heidi Craddock of Martin cut the lead down to one with a 3-pointer of her own.
Dresden went into the half with a 22-18 lead and extended its lead to five at 34-29 after three periods of play.
Dresden’s Grace Finch and Alex Shedd fouled out in the fourth period, resulting in four free throws by Jones to make it 38-37.
But, the Lady Panthers could not take advantage of Dresden’s two tallest players being out of the game.
Jones led all scorers with 15 points. Craddock added 10 for the Lady Panthers. Bell led the Lady Lions with 11 points, followed by Kasey Gallimore with nine.
BOYS
G’field 53, Gleason 19
Levi Dees’ game-high 29 points were too much for the Bulldogs (1-13) to handle as the Yellowjackets (5-10) moved on.
Gleason could never get its game going in the first half as Greenfield went up 15-4 after the first period and outscored Gleason 22-4 in the second to take 37-8 lead at the half.
Gleason’s Donovan Foley attempted to get Gleason offense going in the third with a pair of 3-pointers, but the Bulldogs still found themselves down 48-16 at the end of three.
Keaton Cook and A.J. Street each scored six points for the ’Jackets. Jackson Crouse added five followed by Jacob Lewis with four and Will Northcutt with three.
Foley scored 17 for the Bulldogs and Tucker Green scored the only other points with two.
Martin 65, Sharon 27
Three players scored in double figures for the Panthers with Matt McMillan scoring a game-high 15.
McMillan hit a pair of 3-pointers from 30 feet out in the first period, the second coming at the buzzer.
Sharon’s James Vaughan tied the game with his 3-pointer early in the first period before Martin went on 7-1 run and took an 18-6 lead after one period.
The Panthers pretty much put the game away with an 18-7 second period and went into the half up 36-13 and led by 27 after three.
Ryan Sams scored 12 for the Panthers, followed by Ty Kelly with 11. Cameron Jones added nine Martin. Ethan Sweatt led the Eagles with 10, followed by Vaughan with nine. Published in The WCP 12.11.12