There is an old adage among coaches in sports that offense wins games, defense wins championships.
Even though it was only the third game of the basketball season for Cumberland County, the Lady Jets may have put their names among the top teams in the region to watch Monday night when they used a stifling defensive effort to roll 50-26 over Rhea County in Evensville.
“We talked to the kids after the Cookeville game about playing more relaxed, more free,” said Cumberland County coach Kim Cram-Torres. “We thought they played that game with a lot of pressure.
“So, we tried to tell them no one can be expected to have a great game every week out. That is just not possible. I think we were able to make that change tonight. We got into a good rhythm and played well.”
The Lady Jets’ defensive pressure forced, unofficially, 10 Rhea County errors in the first period. Cumberland County capitalized on the miscues and led 16-2 at the end of the first quarter and widened that margin to 31-5 at the intermission.
Freshman standout Lauren Clark had the hot hand for Cumberland County early as she scored seven in the first two periods. Aliyah Hawkins came up big with some transition buckets, and Jalyn Baldwin was able to find some buckets in the paint.
Things didn’t seem to change much in the second half. Clark scored again, as did Baldwin, and Sydney Wilhite tallied 15 points over the third and fourth periods. Cumberland County increased its lead to 36 points, 50-14, as the third period came to a close.
“I also thought we played with a great deal of energy tonight,” Cram-Torres said. “We were running the floor well. We had good pressure on defense. There is a lot still to work on, but I thought we played well.”
Wilhite, who scored 28 points in a game earlier this season, finished the game with a high of 22 points. Clark scored 12, while Hawkins and Baldwin added eight each.
Lakyn Lockhart scored eight points to lead the way for Rhea County. Raylee Fuller contributed seven.
Cumberland County is about to embark on a big four-game home swing. The Lady Jets host Clarkrange Nov. 28 and Pickett County Dec. 1. Walker Valley will visit Crossville on Dec. 8, and CCHS will host Rhea County on Dec. 12.
Cram-Torres was able to get a lot of her bench players in the game late in the fourth period. She said whenever that is possible, it is vitally important to the program.
“It is very difficult nowadays to get freshman and junior varsity games,” Cram-Torres said. “So, anytime we can get the younger kids time in a varsity match, that’s a good thing to do.”