The Jr. Lady Highlanders almost pulled out a shutout Monday night as they defeated the Blountville Jr. Lady Tigers 33-2 during round one of the Blountville Middle School Tip-Off Tournament.
The first period was a low scoring affair, with the only points coming from Jr. Lady Highlanders’ Heaven Caraway, who popped a three to give Cloudland the lead heading into the second quarter.
Things sped up a bit in the second period as the Jr. Lady Highlanders posted 12 points. Cloudland’s Kenzie Birchfield landed a three to put Cloudland up 6-0 with 5:30 left to play in the first half.
The three-pointer sparked a 10-point run by the Jr. Lady Highlanders, with Jasmine Birchfield, Kaylen Fields, and Madelyn Johnson all contributing to the drive. With just 20 seconds left in the first half, the Jr. Lady Tigers finally found the board. However, Karah Fields answered with a bucket of her own, sending the Jr. Lady ’Landers into halftime with a 15-2 lead.
The third period saw Cloudland post ten point, while the Lady Highlanders’ defense shut out the Lady Tigers. Kenzie Birchfield got things rolling again with an early-quarter bucket to put her team up 17-2. Cloundland’s Leah Birchfield picked up the next bucket, before Mandy Birchfield sank back-to-back baskets to put Cloudland up 23-2. The third period was closed out with Cloudland’s Krisi Bare, who nailed a buzzer beater, giving the Jr. Lady Highlanders a 25-2 lead heading into the final quarter.
Cloudland posted eight more points in the fourth period to push out to a victory.
Mandy Birchfield led the scoring with eight points, while Kenzie Birchfield posted seven points. Bare, Leah Birchfield, Gracie Freeman, Kaylen Fields, and Johnson all scored two points, while Karah Fields finished the night with four points.