Beth Vaughn can drain the long ball.

Thanks in part to her accuracy from 3-point range, Vaughn signed a letter of intent on Monday to play college basketball at Martin Methodist College. 

Vaughn was surrounded by friends, family, former teammates and the Warren County High School girls basketball coaching staff as she signed her letter of intent. She was the leading scorer for the Lady Pioneers this season, averaging 9.56 points per game.

“We needed outside shooting and that’s what she gave us,” said WCHS girls coach Anthony Lippe. “She could stretch the defense with her shooting and really make it tough for the opposition. We were looking for someone who could put the ball in the basket and she showed she could do it.”

Lippe said Vaughn is the only senior from his squad who is pursuing a college basketball career.  Martin Methodist is a private school located in Pulaski with an enrollment of some 1,100 students.

Vaughn scored 21 points in Gatlinburg to catapult the Lady Pioneers to their first win of the season in the Smoky Mountain Tournament. She scored 16 points four times her senior year.

Lippe says she was an all-around strong player.

“She was a gritty player who wasn’t afraid to take a charge,” said Lippe. “She would mix it up if she needed to and was a real team leader.”

Lippe said Vaughn’s shooting definitely got the attention of opponents. As the season progressed and the Lady Pioneers played teams for a second time, the focus increasingly turned to stopping Vaughn.

“She was definitely on the other teams’ radar,” said Lippe, who began giving Vaughn basketball lessons when she was in fifth grade.