The Stone Memorial High School Lady Panthers had a tall task in front of them earlier in the week when they host powerhouse McMinn Central.
SMHS went into the contest searching for its first victory of the year after pushing Cookeville to the brink last week in the season opener.
But the Stone surge could not continue as McMinn Central began to pull away and powered its way to an 82-63 victory.
“We didn’t really play bad. McMinn Central is going to win a lot of games. They have a chance to win it all,” said Stone coach Mike Buck. “They were really tough and competitive, and it was a real challenge for us.”
Stone Memorial got out in front early behind good shooting from Adison Howard and Ella Jane May, who helped the black and gold to a 21-14 lead after the first period.
But that’s when McMinn Central, sporting two Division I signees, started to pull away. MCHS got a jumper from Reagan Baker and Karina Bustry to catch up and take a 40-36 lead into the intermission.
“We’re not a great offensive team right now. So, I don’t think we’re going to win many games giving up 82 points,” said Buck.
“I wasn’t too disappointed with our effort, in terms of our competitiveness.”
The second half started with a back and forth battle on the court. Stone pushed ahead on a basket from Ashley Whittenburg and Lily Hinch.
However, Malena Masingale and Baker stayed out from the field and maintained a six-point advantage, 60-54, heading into the final eight minutes.
“[Assistant] Coach [Matt] Troino told me if we make the changes we need to make we’ve got a chance to fall behind pretty deep,” Buck said. “And that’s what happened. But that’s alright because we got some young kids some time on the floor against a really good team.”
McMinn Central pulled away in the fourth period, outscoring Stone 22-9, to secure the 82-63 victory.
“I felt like our competitive spirit and our grit was there,” Buck said. “We just didn’t take care of the basketball, or defensive rebound very well. We had 21 turnovers and gave up 17 offensive boards. That got us in trouble because you’re not going to beat a lot of people like that.”
Howard led the Stone girls in scoring with 23 points. May, unofficially with eight rebounds, chipped in with 14 points.
Whittenburg added 10 points in the game for SMHS, while Brooklyn Lane and Hinch added seven points each. Serena Baldwin scored two.
Bustry led McMinn Central with 21 points in the win. Masingale added 19 points, while Baker scored 18.
Stone Memorial will be back on the court today when SMHS hosts Smith County at 2 p.m. The Lady Panthers will then travel to Clarkrange on Dec. 3. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
“[Clarkrange coach] Lamar [Rogers] has a good team with a lot of the same kids back from last year,” Buck said about the eight-time Class A champions.
“They’re very good, talented and confident. We’re excited about the game. Clarkrange is one of those teams that if you don’t bring it that night, they can make you look silly.”