Bahama hoopsters… Lady Cyclones fall in Thanksgiving tourney final in Bahamas to Dobyns-Bennett
Published 12:32 am Wednesday, December 4, 2019
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Photo Contributed Four Lady Cyclone seniors take time for a photo on their trip to the Bahamas. (L-R) Kelsie Winters, Kaylen Shell, Kaitlin Bailey, and Cheyenne VanHuss.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
While many locals were enjoying a busy week of preparing for a hearty Thanksgiving meal and Black Friday shopping, the Elizabethton Lady Cyclone basketball team was in the Bahamas soaking up the sun and playing some hoops in the Bahama Thanksgiving Tournament.
According to head coach Lucas Andrews, the girls became instant celebrities when they landed at their destination in the Bahamas as their flight was actually the first international flight to have landed at the airport since last year’s devasting hurricane.
The Lady Cyclones were greeted by local dignitaries and were celebrities wherever they went on the island as the basketball tournament they participated in is a big deal to that area.
The following is a look at the games the Lady Cyclones played in the tournament:
Elizabethton…….53
Eight Mile Rock…26
Kaitlin Bailey dropped in 17 points to lead the Lady Cyclones over Eight Mile Rock, 53-26.
Lina Lyon added nine points in the win for Elizabethton while Torrie Roberts totaled seven points.
Kaylen Shell and McKendra Norris chipped in with five points each while Cheyenne VanHuss totaled four points.
Olivia Holly and Maggie Rowland closed out the scoring with three points each.
Tavia Solomon scored 14 points to pace Eight Mile Rock.
Elizabethton……..67
St. Thomas…………9
Four Lady Cyclones reached double figures in their win over St. Thomas.
McKendra Norris led the quartet with a game-high 18 points. Cheyenne VanHuss followed Norris with 13 while Kaitlin Bailey had 11 and Lina Lyon added 10.
Kelsie Winters and Olivia Holly contributed four points each to the win with Torrie Roberts (2), Maddie Fowler (2), Katie Lee (2), and Kaylen Shell (1) closed out the scoring for Elizabethton.
Khyla Shakespeare led St. Thomas with four points.
Dobyns-Bennett……54
Elizabethton…………38
Coach Andrews was determined to play Dobyns-Bennett one way or another as he couldn’t get them on the regular-season schedule so he chased them down in the Bahamas.
In their matchup, the Lady Indians managed to keep Elizabethton under 40 points and as a result, took a 54-38 win.
The Lady Indians had two players reach double figures led by Jabrea Johnson with 16 and Caitlyn Wallace with 13 points.
Only four Lady Cyclones reached the scorebook led by Kaylen Shell’s 13 points. Kaitlin Bailey followed Shell with 10 points.
Torrie Roberts and Lina Lyon had eight and seven points respectively.
Elizabethton……..62
Tennessee High…37
The Lady Cyclones regrouped nicely after their loss to D-B by taking down the Lady Vikings of Tennessee High by a 62-37 score.
Paced by Kaitlin Bailey’s 18 points and Torrie Robert’s 12 points, the Lady Cyclones left no doubt in the win.
Cheyenne VanHuss had nine points in the win while Kelsie Winters and Kaylen Shell totaled eight points apiece.
Lina Lyon and McKendra Norris connected on a trey apiece while Maddie Fowler hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe.
Kenzie Nickles had 11 points for the Lady Vikings while teammate Riley Fritts reached double digits with 10 points.
Championship
Dobyns-Bennett….44
Elizabethton……….34
The Lady Cyclones matched up better against the Lady Indians in the championship game as the girls from ‘Betsy fell just short in a ten-point defeat, 44-34.
Kaitlin Bailey was the only Lady Cyclone in double figures with 19 points. Kaylen Shell totaled seven points with Renna Lane hitting for six points on two three-pointers.
Cheyenne Vanhuss added the final two points.
Jabrea Johnson once again led the Lady Indians with 14 points in the contest. Nine Lady Indians dented the scoring column.
The Lady Cyclones will be back in action on Friday during Roundball in the Hall at Science Hill High School against Knox Bearden.
