|
DeGraffenreid has 33 as SM withstands surge by Franklin
Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 33 points, and Smoky Mountain held off Franklin for a 50-44 non-conference basketball victory on Jan. 3 at the SM gym.
Jena Cabe scored 10 points for the Lady Panthers.
“It was good to beat our rival for the second time this year,” Coach Cindi Simmons said. “We had a good defensive effort. I was proud of our kids.”
Smoky Mountain’s Kelli Woodard takes the ball to the basket against a Franklin defender in the third quarter of last week’s 50-44 victory. – Photo by Mark Haskett
The Lady Mustangs were up 44-31 on DeGraffenreid’s three-pointer with 7:49 left in the game, but they managed just two points in the next seven and a half minutes.
While Simmons wanted her team to be patient and look for good shots, she did not want a delay game.
“We weren’t aggressive enough looking to score in the fourth quarter, but we finished it out,” she said.
Franklin used a 13-2 run, including five by Amber Parham, cutting the gap to 46-44 with 16 seconds remaining.
DeGraffenreid was four of four from the foul line in the final 15 seconds to seal the win.
With DeGraffenreid and Ashley Robinson both scoring four, SM jumped in front 10-2 with 4:40 to go in the first period.
Franklin narrowed the deficit to 10-9 on Cabe’s three-point play at the 2:49 mark, and trailed 11-9 at the quarter break.
Rebecca Norris’ four points keyed an 8-2 spurt for a 20-20 tie on Parham’s basket with 54 seconds to go in the half.
The Lady Panthers had a chance to take the lead, but DeGraffenreid came up with two steals and layups in the final 19 seconds for a 24-20 edge.
“Cetera’s two steals gave us momentum going into halftime,” Simmons said.
DeGraffenreid had five points in an 8-2 run for a 36-25 advantage on Woodard’s inside basket with 1:45 to go in the third stanza, which ended with the Lady Mustangs up 41-31.
DeGraffenreid hit 12 field goals, including two three-pointers, and seven of eight foul shots.
Robinson finished with seven points, Woodard followed with four, Amy Haggard scored three, Ashley Coggins had two and Brandi Anders made a foul shot.
DeGraffenreid also led the team in rebounds with eight and steals with four while tying Robinson with three blocks.
DeGraffenreid and Coggins shared the Hammer Award for hustle stats. DeGraffenreid had 14 deflections and came up with five loose balls while Coggins had five deflections and two loose balls.
The Lady Panthers won the JV game 52-39. They led at quarter breaks by scores of 15-10, 26-21 and 39-29.
SM’s Cayla Cucumber scored 13 points.
“Our intensity level wasn’t what it needed to be,” Coach Ollin Dunford said. “The girls know that now, and our intensity level will be sky high.”
|
