KINGSPORT – Having already secured a share of the Big East Conference regular season title, the West Ridge Lady Wolves were looking for the outright crown Friday evening at the Buck Van Huss Dome.
But Dobyns-Bennett got a free throw from Ariana Thomas with ten seconds to go and survived a pair of late shot attempts to score the 35-34 victory.
The defensive-minded and offensively challenged tussle was eerily similar to that played out in the first meeting between the two squads won by the Lady Wolves 49-44 in overtime.
“We needed the game to be low scoring again,” said Dobyns-Bennett coach Bill Francis. “I thought if we could keep them under 45 we’d have a chance.
“I just thought we were really good defensively. I was really proud of our kids grinding it out and making some plays late.”
Tied at 31-31, junior guard Carlee Cradic drew a charging call and on the ensuing possession came up with an offensive rebound that the Lady Indians turned into a go-ahead three-pointer by freshman Afton Bakar with 2:47 to play.
“We had some people step up and make some big plays,” added Francis. “That three by Baker was huge. That was monster for her to step in and hit that.”
After the Lady Indians missed a pair of free throws with 46.4 seconds to play, Carter Jones in transition pulled up and tied the game with a three with 31.8 seconds remaining.
Jones poured in 33 of the Lady Wolves 49 points in the first meeting and opened the rematch on a tear as well. After 14 first-half points, Jones managed just two more field goals and six points in the second half to finish with a game-high 20.
But the rest of the West Ridge crew accounted for only four field goals and 14 additional points.
“I think Carter did what she needed to do,” said West Ridge head coach Kristi Walling. “We told the others they have got to step up and help her.”
Jones scored the first seven West Ridge points and seemed on the way to another 30-point outing.
“I thought here we go again, she’s an Indian killer, she’s going for 30 again,” explained Francis. “We made a little adjustment there. Normally we are not of the philosophy of helping off the strong side, we always bring help from the weak side, but we brought it from there for a few possessions until Carter decided she would kick it out.
“And Sally (McReynolds) is a physical, really good defender and she’s smart, she doesn’t foul and bail you out. We knew we could do a good job on everybody else. We just needed to find a way to force Carter into tough shots. She made some of those early.”
With the game tied, the Lady Indians survived a couple of uneasy inbounds, but not a third as West Ridge came up with a steal with 17.9 ticks to play.
Out of a time-out, the Lady Wolves had a wide-open attempt on the left low block, but couldn’t get the basket to go, the last of at least a dozen shots missed at the rim by West Ridge.
Afforded another attempt after the Lady Indians knocked the ball out of bounds, West Ridge saw Thomas come up with a steal and then draw a foul in transition at midcourt.
Thomas misfired on the first, but connected on the second for the winning point.
“We needed that one,” added Francis. “Tonight proved that we still have a little juice in us.”
McReynolds led the Lady Indians (2-4, 9-16) with ten points with Cradic finishing with nine. Both handed out three assists each.
Dobyns-Benett won the battle on the glass, 33-26, with Jadeah Releford pulling down 11 and Zymiria Horton five. Millie Shelton and Jones had five boards apiece for the Lady Wolves (4-2, 18-10).
While Science Hill earned its share of the league title with a win over Boone, the Lady Wolves will still be the top seed in the District 1-AAAA Tournament that starts next week, meaning the squads will meet again next Friday night in a semifinal matchup.
“We had a lot of chances, just missed way too many layups,” Walling said. “I never want to lose, but that is who we are going to play in the first-round next week so I would rather get it over with now and get these kids motivated to come back and regroup for next Friday.”
WEST RIDGE (34) – Carter Jones 8-12 1-3 20, Randi Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Millie Shelton 1-5 0-0 2, Allie Reilly 1-5 0-0 2, Campbell Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Kyleigh Mitchell 0-4 4-4 4, Addison Bunn 1-3 1-4 4, Teagan Tipton 1-2 0-0 2, Totals 12-36 6-11 34.
DOBYNS-BENNETT (35) – Ariana Thomas 1-8 1-2 3, Carlee Cradic 4-7 1-1 9, Jadeah Releford 2-7 1-4 5, Zymiria Horton 1-1 0-0 2, Sally McReynolds 4-13 0-2 10, Mary Kate Lively 1-1 0-0 3, Afton Baker 1-1 0-0 3, Rylee Rawlings 0-0 0-0 0, Camilla Moore 0-2 0-2 0, Totals 14-41 3-11 35.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | |
West Ridge | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 34 |
Dobyns-Bennett | 14 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 35 |
Three-Pointers – West Ridge 4-10 (Car. Jones 3-5, Smith 0-1, Shelton 0-1, Reilly 0-1, Bunn 1-1, Cam. Jones 0-1), Dobyns-Bennett 4-12 (Thomas 0-2, Cradic 0-2, Lively 1-1, Baker 1-1, McReynolds 2-6). Rebounds – West Ridge 26 (Shelton 5, Car. Jones 5, Smith 4), Dobyns-Bennett 33 (Releford 11, Horton 5, Baker 4, Cradic 3). Assists – West Ridge 7 (Mitchell 3, Reilly 2), Dobyns-Bennett 11 (Cradic 3, McReynolds 3, Thomas 2). Steals – West Ridge 4 (Mitchell 4), Dobyns-Bennett 4 (Thomas 2, Cradic 2). Blocks – West Ridge 4, Dobyns-Bennett 0. Turnovers – West Ridge 15, Dobyns-Bennett 14.
