- Photo by Carey Phillips
Kaitlin Ritchie drives past a Brevard defender on the way to the basket in Smoky Mountain's 54-51 victory Friday. The Lady Mustangs picked up a win over Enka Tuesday to go 14-1 overall and 6-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. |
Just when it looked like Smoky Mountain would be an upset victim for the second straight time on the road, Nichole Jones stepped up to save the day.
The Lady Mustang guard came up with two steals and hit four free throws in the final half minute of Friday's 54-51 victory at Brevard. SM was clinging to one-point leads when she recorded both steals. Tara Green scored 13 points and Elexis Smith added 12 as the Lady Mustangs improved to 13-1 overall and 5-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. Brevard was led by Larisha Littlejohn with 16 points. A partial power failure at halftime delayed the game, but it wasn't because either team shot the lights out. The Lady Mustangs had shooting percentages of 28.2 from the floor and 45.5 from the line. "With our poor shooting, we were very fortunate to get out of there with a win," Coach Cindi Simmons said. "Nichole really came through with the pressure on." The Lady Devils took a 49-48 edge on Lindsey Bolt's steal and layup with 1:39 left in the game. Green's layup with a minute left put SM up 50-49 and set the stage for Jones' heroics. While Brevard looked for a go-ahead shot, Jones came up with a steal and was immediately fouled. She made both free throws for a 52-49 lead with 29 seconds left. Lady Mustangs continued . . . |
Four candidates are announced