BRISTOL – One night after surrendering a 16-point lead, Greeneville’s Lady Devils bounced back with a 62–51 win over Abingdon, Va. in the Doc Maples Classic, snapping a four-game losing streak.
“The monkey is off our back,” an excited coach Annette Watts said. “We got on a losing streak and just couldn’t get off it, but tonight we played hard, and now it’s gone.”
Although the Lady Devils did not shoot the ball particularly well—making just one three-pointer—and battled foul trouble throughout the game, their pressure defense created several turnovers that led to transition baskets.
Greeneville jumped out to a 21–9 first-quarter lead behind Brylee Tullock’s seven points and Julia Woolsey’s six. Tullock finished with a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), while Woolsey recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lady Devils faced adversity in the second quarter as four of their five starters picked up their second foul and were forced to spend time on the bench. Abingdon took advantage at the free-throw line, going 10-for-16 in the quarter compared to Greeneville’s 2-for-3. However, the Falcons managed just two field-goal points in the period, and Maria Lyde’s six points helped Greeneville maintain a 33–21 lead at halftime.
Getting off to a strong start was encouraging, but it also raised concerns for Coach Watts.
“It always scares me that we’ll become complacent,” Watts said. “But tonight we didn’t. We kept the hammer down, even with some of our key players in foul trouble.”
Greeneville extended its lead to 42–26 early in the third quarter before Lyde was forced to the bench with her third foul, giving Abingdon an inside advantage. Falcons post Ansley Trivett, who had scored five points in the first half while dealing with foul trouble of her own, capitalized on Lyde’s absence by scoring 13 of her game-high 25 points.
With Greeneville leading 49–32 late in the third quarter, Woolsey was also sidelined with her third foul. Abingdon could manage only three more points before the end of the quarter, trimming the deficit to 49–35.
The Falcons looked to Trivett and Lauren Baker to spark a comeback in the final quarter. Trivett scored seven points, while Baker added six of her 16, as Greeneville was forced to play the final 4:13 without Lyde, who picked up her fourth and fifth fouls within a 30-second span.
Unable to cut the deficit to single digits, Abingdon was forced to foul down the stretch. The Lady Devils sealed the win by going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Greeneville will close out the tournament Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against George Wythe (VA) before returning to action on December 27 in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic, where they will face North Hardin (KY) at 9:00 p.m. Abingdon will play Dobyns-Bennett at 3:00 p.m.
Swatzell Wins 3-Point Contest
After Friday’s contest Greeneville senior Jordan Swatzell put on a shooting exhibition Friday evening at Viking Hall, bringing home hardware after outlasting 23 competitors to win the three-point contest at the Doc Maples Invitational.
Each participant was given one minute to attempt up to 25 shots from beyond the arc. Made baskets were worth one point, while the final ball on each rack counted for two points.
Swatzell, who returned this season after missing her junior year due to knee surgery, has long been known for her ability to knock down shots in bunches. She lived up to that reputation by connecting on 15 of 25 attempts, scoring 20 of a possible 30 points to secure the victory.
Greeneville snapped a 4-game losing skid and defeated Abingdon 62-51 at The Doc Maples Tournament on Friday afternoon. Hear what Coach Annette Watts had to share with us afterwards. pic.twitter.com/apsivQiRn8
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) December 19, 2025
