The Stone Memorial High School Lady Panthers put three players in double figures last week in a tough basketball battle with visiting Maryville.
Stone caught fire offensively, leading by double figures late. SMHS also came up with big stops defensively. The Lady Panthers held Maryville to very few second-chance points.
The end result was a 54-41 victory for Stone Memorial. The win ended a four-game losing streak.
“It was a really good game against a good team. Our girls competed for the whole game and that’s always a good thing,” said Stone coach Mike Buck. “We didn’t score it like we did as consistently the game before.
“But tonight, we had a really big fourth quarter. We knew it would be a challenge for us against Maryville, but we learned we just need to consistently keep moving forward. And we did.”
Neither team could generate much offense early. Adison Howard and Ella Jane May sparked a Stone run, but Maryville took an 8-7 lead after one period on a shot by Zoee Harrison.
Stone came fighting back and got big baskets from Serena Baldwin and Emma Smith to take a 22-20 advantage at halftime.
“We figured defensively we would see an extended type of press from them,” Buck said. “We saw that some. They mixed things up on us and that kind of kept us on our heels early on.
“We knew we needed to handle whatever kind of pressure they threw at us. They pose some problems we will see down the road this year as far as quick, driving guards. It was a good game for us.”
Buck said he talked to his team at halftime about how much he liked the way they were competing, but he said the offense seemed a little “klunky.”
The game went back and fourth in the third period with Lily Hinch and Howard contributing for the Lady Panthers.
Stone led 36-34 after the third quarter before outscoring Maryville 18-7 in the final eight minutes of action.
“It just felt like it was a matter of time before we put some stops and some buckets together,” Buck said. “We got it up to four or five in the first half and early in the third, but it all came together in the fourth quarter.
“Ashley [Whittenburg] did another good job. The team did a good job of finding her and she is making shots at a good clip right now. These runs from her couldn’t happen to a better kid.”
Whittenburg led the way for Stone with 21 points. Howard had 11 and May scored 10. Baldwin added four points, while Hinch and Abby Hazelton scored three each. Smith tallied two.
Harrison led the way with with 14 points for Maryville. Brooke Oskoog tallied eight points and Harper White had seven.
“Everything for us was triggered by our defense,” Buck said. “At halftime, we talk about finishing possessions, especially on defense and how that will lead to points. We were able to do that in the fourth quarter.
“This win felt really good for our kids. We knew Maryville would be tough, but we felt like if we came out and played well, we could win.
“This win helps a lot with this team. The girls need to know what we’re doing is working. We want them to have belief in who we are.”
Stone Memorial will now prepare for the 5-Star Preps Classic in Maryville this weekend before heading to Daytona Beach for a tournament after Christmas.
“Now that we’re at the midpoint of the season, we want the girls to be getting more comfortable playing together,” Buck said. “We need to know what our strengths and weaknesses are, and play to those.”