It took a gritty effort and tough defense, but in front of a packed house at Jerome Woolsey Gymnasium the North Greene girls were able to pull out a 43-37 win over South Greene on Saturday night.
“It was a physical game. But we were able to close it out with defense, offensive rebounds and extra possessions,” North Greene coach James Buchanan said. “I think these girls just wanted to win and they went and got it. There are things that we have to improve, but when you can learn while winning that is a coach’s dream.”
The Lady Huskies only led for 45 seconds in the first half, and the lead bounced back and forth five times in the second half before the Lady Huskies finally gained control in the fourth quarter.
North Greene only connected on three three-pointers on Saturday, but two of them came in the first two minutes of the final frame and gave the Lady Huskies their first breathing room of the night. First Eva Leonard hit from deep along the right wing and then Cadie McDevitt fired one in from deep in the corner for a 36-30 advantage.
“That loosened everything up,” Buchanan said. “Really, it’s a testament to the ones who passed them the ball. South Greene was getting aggressive getting in passing lanes and shooting gaps. So when you find the right girls, who they are daring to shoot, and they knock it down, that’s big.”
South Greene was able to close the gap to 36-35 with 3:35 left to play when Alexa Gabbard grabbed an offensive rebound that set up Kortnei Bailey for a triple, but the Lady Rebels were never able to regain the lead.
With 45 seconds left Josie Graham came up with a huge steal and when she took it the other Natalie Foshie came flying in for an offensive rebound that she took away from the Lady Rebels while getting fouled. Foshie made one at the foul line and Tralyn Southerland grabbed the rebound of the other. Southerland made another free toss and stretched the lead to 41-37.
North Greene’s defense locked down over the final two minutes and kept the Lady Rebels from scoring for the final 1:59 on the way to a 43-37 win.
“It was exciting to see them pull this one out at the end. Sometimes you have to pull that out kids, but it seems like they have that mentality,” Buchanan said. “That is a testament to their raising and maybe some prior coaching. You can tell that these kids want to win and they will sacrifice for it. Just look at that play Josie made at the end, gee whiz! She’s pressuring a good player, knocks it loose and then dives on the floor to create a jump ball.”
Saturday’s action started with the Lady Rebels playing smothering and physical defense, and North Greene could not figure out how to get shots to fall.
South Greene did not do much scoring on the other end of the floor but Bailey and Reagan Arrowood sank midrange jumpers for an 8-2 lead with 1:33 left in the opening period.
Just before the horn Paisely Brobeck banked in a jumper from the left wing and the Lady Rebels held a 10-4 advantage.
South Greene lead grew to 16-9 in the second quarter after Neveah Davis launched a three-pointer from the left wing.
Over the final four minutes of the first half North Greene’s press defense began to frustrate South Greene and the Lady Rebels did not score for the remainder of the first half.
That high-pressure defense also led to more offensive opportunities and when Ella Head stole the ball under the basket she turned it into a layup that closed the gap to 16-14.
With 45 seconds on the clock Southerland powered in a layup with two defenders draped over her shoulders. She made her free throw as well and sent North Greene to halftime leading 17-16.
“Before the half we hit a stretch where we weren’t playing very well, and their players and coaches had a lot to do with it. But they had a few of their regulars on the bench so we threw a press out there at them and we were able to go up at the half. I thought was a very important stretch,” Buchanan said.
The lead changed hands five times in the third quarter with Leonard scoring seven points for North Greene and Arrowood draining a pair of three-pointers for the Lady Rebels.
McDevitt scored the final points of the period on an offensive rebound to give North Greene a 29-28 lead.
McDevitt led North Greene on Saturday with 11 points while Leonard and Southerland each scored 10 points.
Bailey led all scorers with 15 points and Arrowood had 11 points for the Lady Rebels.
North Greene defended their home court once again and came from behind to knock off county rival South Greene 43-37 in a physical contest on Saturday. Hear what Lady Huskies Coach James Buchanan had to say after a gritty win. pic.twitter.com/YvF2nugBlV
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) December 7, 2025
In a 4-quarter battle, the Lady Huskies came out on top as they defeated South Greene by a score of 43-37. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/xr8lwGBwbZ
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) December 8, 2025
The Lady Huskies win a gritty one vs. South Greene, 43-37
*The player in this video later returned to the game and was uninjured#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/1NmwlviDmi
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) December 7, 2025
