Herald Photo by Carey Phillips
Nathalie Broom launches a three-pointer for Smoky Mountain in last week's 77-60 victory over Erwin. Broom pulled down six rebounds for the Lady Mustangs SM improved to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. |
The trio of Elexis Smith, Tara Green and Nichole Jones combined for 65 points as Smoky Mountain clinched a spot in the state 3-A basketball playoffs with a 77-60 victory over Erwin on Jan. 25 at the SM gym.
"We're happy to have clinched a playoff spot so early in the season," Coach Cindi Simmons said. "We need to remain focused and keep playing hard because there are several goals left to achieve." The Lady Mustangs put on a clinic in the second half against the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champions. Smith scored 20 of her 24 points after intermission. "We came out strong in the second half and executed well," Simmons said. "Our offensive efficiency was outstanding. Elexis really dominated the second half. We were able to get the ball inside to her, and she came up with some big offensive rebounds." SM fell behind by nine points in the first half before rallying for a 30-30 halftime tie. Green helped keep her team in contention with 16 of her 23 points in the first two periods. "Our bench played well in the first half and helped us overcome an early deficit," Simmons said. "Tara really kept us afloat in the first half. She took it to them and got some fouls on them. That was a key to the win." More on SMHS Women's Basketball . . . |
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