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Lady Mustangs rout Pisgah with near-perfect first half
If Smoky Mountain Coach Cindi Simmons could bottle the performance of her basketball team in the first half of Friday’s game at Pisgah, she could sell it and make a fortune.
The Lady Mustangs (17-2, 5-0) were about as close to perfect as they could be racing to a 45-12 lead en route to a 64-35 victory. They became the only undefeated Western Athletic Conference team at the midpoint of league play.
Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 15 of her 20 points in the first quarter. She also handed out 11 assists and had five steals.
In her second game back from an elbow injury, Smoky Mountain’s Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 15 of her 20 points in the first quarter of Friday’s 64-35 victory at Pisgah. – Photo by Mark Haskett
Ashley Robinson added 13 points and four steals while Tasha Junaluska finished with 10 points and five steals.
Brittney Clark led the Sugar Bears with seven points.
“We got off to a very intense start,” Simmons said. “We had our transition game going, and our defense created a lot of offensive opportunities.”
Playing to near perfection, SM ran off the first quarter’s last 19 points, including 10 by DeGraffenreid, to lead 26-3.
Junaluska’s consecutive three-pointers keyed a 14-2 spurt building the margin to 41-6 on DeGraffenreid’s 10-footer with 4:22 left in the half.
The margin reached 45-8 after Amy Haggard’s fast break layup with 3:26 on the clock, and it was 45-12 at intermission.
The game’s biggest lead was 55-15 on DeGraffenreid’s three-pointer with 3:29 to play in the third period, which ended with the Lady Mustangs leading 58-20.
DeGraffenreid made nine field goals, including two three-pointers. Robinson hit five field goals and three of three foul shots. Two of Junaluska’s four field goals were treys.
Haggard finished with seven points, Brittany Gilbert and Cayla Cucumber both scored five, and Kelli Woodard had four.
Cucumber was the leading rebounder with 10, and Haggard had eight.
Pisgah breezed to a 40-15 win in the JV game. The Sugar Bears led at quarter breaks by scores of 9-5, 17-8 and 36-9 .
Heather Mathis scored four points for the Lady Mustangs (8-7).
“We knew they were going to play man-to-man,” Coach Ollin Dunford said. “I think they intimidated us from the start of the game. We could never get it going.”
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