Most coaches, including Stone Memorial Girls Basketball Coach Mike Buck, know one of the keys to being successful is the ability to adapt to the situation. Good coaches have a knack at being able to make decisions on the fly.
Buck showed just how that’s done last week when the Lady Panthers opened the season with an 86-59 rout of Jackson County. The Stone girls jumped on top of the Lady Blue Devils early with a chaos-causing press that forced 10 turnovers in the first period alone.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’re doing something this year that we haven’t done before,” Buck said. “This style fits our personnel and, offensively, we’re going to push the ball. You can’t really prepare for this in practice.”
The win gives Stone Memorial a record of 1-0, while Jackson County falls to 0-1.
Stone opened the game with an 8-0 run and back-to-back baskets by Ashley Whittenburg, and Ella Jane May helped give Stone a 32-17 lead after the first period.
The Clark sisters — Lauren and Lexie — sparked a run in the second quarter. Bella Wyatt came up big with a layup to make it 39-18. Whittenburg chipped in with a jumper, Brooklyn Lane scored off a steal and layup, and a jumper by May gave Stone a 51-22 lead at halftime.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“At halftime, we talked about keeping the pressure up on defense because it was working so well,” Buck said.
The teams went back and forth in the second half. A jumper by Emma Smith, and another by Wyatt helped Stone maintain its advantage to lead 71-47 heading into the fourth period.
Whittenburg led Stone in scoring with 22 points in the victory. May added 14 points, while Lexie Clark scored 13, and Wyatt had 10. Lane scored eight points, Lauren Clark added seven, and Reagan Pugh tallied three. Taylor Amos, Smith and Vadyn Bosanko scored two each.
Lalyn Meadows led Jackson County with 16 points. Claire Williams tallied 14.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStone girls hold off Bartlett, 68-64
The Stone Memorial Lady Panthers came up with a key 68-64 victory over Bartlett High School Saturday in a Play Day at Smith County High School in Carthage.
SMHS traded baskets with Bartlett early in the game, getting a basket from Lauren Clark and Whittenburg to end the first period in a 20-20 tie.
BHS tried to make a run in the second period behind baskets from Taylor Miller and Anniya Bailey, and held a 38-30 advantage at the intermission.
Stone made a charge in the second half. Baskets by Lexie Clark, Wyatt and Lane helped Stone actually take the lead at 54-52 after three complete periods of play.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhittenburg led Stone in scoring with 16 points. Lexi Clark scored 13, while Wyatt had 12 and Lauren Clark added 11. May scored nine points, Smith and Lane scored three each, while Amos added one.
Miller led Bartlett with 12 points.
Lady Panthers roll over Oneida, 69-44
The Stone Memorial girls closed out the Play Day in Carthage with a big victory over Oneida. SMHS jumped on top early and never looked back as it rolled to an easy 69-44 win.
Stone led 10-2 early in the first period before charging out to a 23-7 advantage after the first quarter and a 43-21 lead at the intermission.
That pressure continued in the second half. Defensively, Stone held Oneida to only 11 points in the third quarter, while outscoring OHS to lead 57-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWyatt led Stone in scoring with 17 points, while Whittenburg chipped in 11 and Lauren Clark scored nine. Lexie Clark tallied eight points, Amos had five, while May and Smith scored four each. Pugh scored three in the win.
Kassie Kunkel and Bosanko scored two points each.
Lynleigh Jeffers led Oneida with 10 points each.
Stone will host Pickett County Nov. 25. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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