The Greeneville girls dominated from the very beginning and delivered a lopsided 50-10 beatdown of Cherokee on Tuesday night inside Hal Henard Gymnasium.
From early on it was evident that Tuesday night’s game was treated as a revenge game after their lackluster performance on Monday night. Coach Watts expressed her displeasure for how they performed on the road against Science Hill. Unfortunately for Cherokee, they stood in the way again for another revenge game.
“We were so mad at ourselves for not playing good defense last night and I knew poor Cherokee was in line next,” Greeneville’s Head Coach Annette Watts said.
Everyone got involved as seven of Greeneville’s nine rostered players scored, but one prevailed above all the others. Maria Lyde delivered a near triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals. She led her team in each of those four categories while guarding Cherokee’s best player Addie Lawson.
“I’m telling you what the Lawson kid will be tough the next three years. That girl understands the game and she has the drive and the motor,” Watts mentioned. “I told Coach Holt I was going to try to put Maria on Lawson to see if her size and length and physicality would bother her.”
Kyla Jobe entered double figures also with 14 points. Matea Gray followed behind with 10.
Abby Adkins was recognized prior to the game for grabbing 500 career rebounds in her career at Greeneville High. Coach Watts bragged on her by stating, “People that don’t come around don’t know that she’s 5’8” and has 500+ rebounds. That’s incredible.”
Greeneville improved to 6-0 against District 2-3A competition and moved one step closer to clinching the regular season championship.
Rarely do you ever witness a team get shutout in a single quarter. The Lady Devils dominated the first 12 minutes of the contest and did not allow Cherokee to score for the first 12:35. They cruised to a 24-0 lead before the Lady Chiefs scored. Their press defense filled with traps and gap shooting caused major problems for their counterparts.
Kyla Jobe started with an offensive rebound and ran outside to the perimeter for a three-pointer. Julia Woolsey scored a layup next followed by a pair of free throws from Maria Lyde. Jobe scored the next 7-straight from all three levels. First from the mid-range, next from the three, and lastly off the glass in the paint. Woolsey and Lyde ended the quarter with layups.
Greeneville held a commanding 18-0 lead after the first.
Their run continued with another layup from Lyde, a layup from Gabby Atchison, and Matea Gray’s first points on a floater.
Addie Lawson went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to break Cherokee’s scoreless spell. Chloe Pearson followed up with a two-point shot.
Greeneville led 30-6 at halftime.
The third quarter was a party in the paint for Greeneville. 16 of their 18 points in the frame all came from layups. The only jump shot came from Maria Lyde. Her and Matea Gray finished with 6 points in the quarter.
Allison Hayes scored Greeneville’s final two points in the fourth quarter with another layup.
Greeneville took care of the Lady Chiefs and walked off the hardwood with a 50-10 win on Tuesday.
Lyde led the way with 16 points, Jobe had 14, and Gray provided 10.
Greeneville’s next big test comes Friday night with a road game in Rutledge with the Grainger Lady Grizzlies. The Lady Devils would clinch first place in the conference and earn an automatic bid to the Region 1-3A tournament with a win.
“We know we’ve got the tough one on Friday night. We just know that we’re going to have to go over there and defend like we did tonight,” Coach Watts expressed.
