It was a low-scoring defensive battle right till the final buzzer in the 5-6 grade preseason basketball tournament Thursday night.
A shot by Eastside with 1:12 to play gave the Lady Bulldogs a one-point advantage and it was enough to give Eastside a 14-13 win over the WCMS Lady Pioneers.
Late in the game, it was anyone’s game to win. Both teams stayed aggressive on defense and players from both sides tried to get to the basket. The loss was not because lack of effort. WCMS had several missed opportunities down the stretch. The shots would not fall.
WCMS led 13-10 after three complete quarters. The Lady Bulldogs were let loose and their defensive intensity was turned up. In the final quarter when WCMS needed it most, the Lady Pioneers could not get the ball to drop through the basket, not even once.
Emeri Cummings and Kinslee Grissom put Eastside in the lead for good in the fourth and the Lady Bulldogs relied on their defense to finish off the Lady Pioneers.
Out of the halftime it was a complete turnaround for the Lady Pioneers. WCMS distributed the ball around to several players instead of relying on one person to get the team back into the lead. The Lady Pioneers also defended well after the half and only allowed two points by Eastside.
The first quarter belonged to WCMS and three players got into the scoring column. Emily Stoner led the Lady Pioneers with three of the seven-point total.
Savannah Winfree for Eastside scored all five of the Lady Bulldogs points from the free-throw line and WCMS led 7-5 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams struggled to find points. Eastside settled for three points, all of which were scored by Shelby Smartt.
Maybe it was nerves or poor shot selection by the Lady Pioneers. The offense had abandoned WCMS and the Lady Bulldog defense held them scoreless. WCMS trailed 8-7 after a scoreless second quarter as the two teams headed into the locker room.