‘Balanced’ Lady Dragons get off to fast start at 2-0
Lady Dragon Lanee Carmichael scored a team-high 17 points against Lenoir City. (photo:Tony Cox )
She was aware that her team would feature a balanced scoring attack, and she also knew that her squad was going to have to outwork its opponents.
Phillips, the Lady Dragons’ veteran head coach, couldn’t have scripted a better beginning to the 2022-23 campaign, which opened Thursday night with a Hall of Fame Game at Lenoir City High School.
Clinton notched a 57-43 victory in Loudon County, and followed that win with another against Powell on Saturday in its home opener at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium. The Lady Dragons knocked off Knox County’s Lady Panthers 53-43 to dart out to a 2-0 start.
“This year, we have several players who can score 15 points on any given night, and we played well at Lenoir City,” Phillips said. “Lenoir City is actually a lot better than they’ve been in the past.”
The Lady Dragons have shooters and scorers, but they also have rebounders.
Freshman Lanee Carmichael wasted little time making an impact for CHS, as she had a team-high 17 points at LCHS.
She was one of three Lady Dragons to post double figures in the scoring column in a tough road environment.
Addie Gamble added 14 points and Bailey Burroughs finished with 12. Josie Moody chipped in with eight points. Moody, Burroughs and Carmichael were factors on the boards as all pulled down at least seven rebounds, according to Phillips.
CHS was also hot from long range as the Lady Dragons buried six shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Allie York, who had six points, knocked down a pair of long jumpers. Carmichael, Gamble, Ashanti Davis and Sydney Herrell each contributed a successful 3-point shot.
Against Powell, the Lady Dragons’ geographical and one-time District 3-AAA rival, Clinton came away with a 53-43 win as it boasted a balanced and potent offensive attack
The Lady Dragons again featured a balanced attack as Moody was the only Clinton player to post double figures. She had 10 points against Knox County’s Lady Panthers. Carmichael and Herrell added nine points each. Gamble had eight while York and Davis came up with six apiece and Burroughs finished with five.
Moody had eight rebounds for the Lady Dragons, who made five 3-pointers in the contest.