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Defense keys SM to win over Cherokee
Smoky Mountain’s pressure defense proved too much for Cherokee as the Lady Mustangs rolled to a 77-35 win last Thursday at the SM gym.
Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 29 points to go with eight assists and six steals in the victory. Amy Haggard finished with 11 points, and Ashley Robinson had 10.
Amanda Cagle led the Lady Braves with eight points.
“Defensively, we put together a good game,” Coach Cindi Simmons said. “We had 10 offensive transitions in the third quarter that resulted in 18 points. We had eight in the second quarter for 14 points.”
The Lady Mustangs led from the start and were up 9-2 in the first two minutes as Ashley Coggins scored five points.
They scored the first quarter’s last seven points, including four by Brandi Anders, for an 18-8 advantage.
Haggard’s nine points fueled a 12-2 run building the margin to 32-14 with 3:27 on the clock.
SM finished the half with nine unanswered points, all but two by DeGraffenreid, to lead 41-15.
The Lady Mustangs turned the game into a total rout in the third stanza. They used an 18-2 run, including 10 by DeGraffenreid, to lead 66-22 with 34 seconds to go and were up 66-24 at the quarter break.
SM finished with a flurry by scoring the final eight points, including five by Jenna Carpenter.
DeGraffenreid hit 13 field goals, including a three-pointer, and two foul shots. Haggard made five field goals, including a trey. Robinson scored all her points from the floor.
Anders finished with eight points, Coggins, Carpenter and Tasha Junaluska all scored five, Sky Kanott had three and Kelli Woodard made a free throw.
Woodard was the top rebounder with seven, Robinson and Anders both pulled down six boards with Robinson blocking four shots.
“Brandi gave us a lift off the bench,” Simmons said. “She shot the ball well.”
Hammer Award winners for hustle stats were DeGraffenreid and Laury Brown. DeGraffenreid had nine deflections and retrieved seven loose balls. Brown picked up six loose balls and had five deflections and four steals.
The Lady Mustang JVs bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 56-44 win. Cherokee led 10-9 after the first period and 23-21 at halftime before SM moved in front 36-30 entering the fourth quarter.
Cayla Cucumber scored 14 points for the Lady Mustangs, and Brittany Gilbert had 10.
“We started off flat, but Colleen Davis set the bar high for us.” Coach Ollin Dunford said. “She started off shooting well. In the second half, we got a pep in our step.”
Paige Brooks and Heather Parton were cited for their play off the bench.
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