Lady Mavericks split pair of games
Defense shines, but shooting struggles persist in early season action
Addison Grooms scored 14 points and was the top scorer for the Lady Mavericks in Friday night’s matchup against Lenoir City. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Lady Mavericks (2-3) split the two contests, defeating Knoxville Halls 50-32 at home on Thursday before losing to Lenoir City, coached by former Tennessee Lady Vol Shelley Sexton Collier, a Lake City High School graduate, on Friday night.
Despite the mixed results, ACHS coach Mitch Cupples is pleased with his team’s effort to start the 2024-25 season.
“Our defense has played well, and my girls are really buying into toughness, physicality, and defense,” Cupples said. “We’re just not shooting the ball well right now.”
In Friday night’s game in Loudon County, the Lady Mavericks started strong, taking an 18-11 lead early and outplaying Lenoir City in nearly every category.
“But we were 1-for-13 from three-point range, and you’re not going to win many games that way,” Cupples said.
Addison Grooms led Anderson County with 14 points against the Lady Panthers, while Macy Basford added nine.
In Thursday’s contest against the Lady Devils (0-3), the Lady Mavericks applied relentless defensive pressure and forced Halls into 29 turnovers. However, ACHS did not capitalize on all of the Lady Devils’ mistakes.
“We forced them into 29 turnovers, but we only scored 18 points off those turnovers,” Cupples said. “We did a lot of good things, but we missed a lot of layups.”
Halls turned the ball over numerous times in the opening quarter but managed to stay in the game due to Anderson County’s shooting struggles.
“We turned them over in the first quarter, but we were only ahead, 10-5,” Cupples said.
Once the Lady Mavericks found their shooting touch, they showcased a balanced offensive attack. Basford led the team with 13 points, while Grooms added nine. Shelby Kelly and Bethany Lowe each finished with eight points, and Emerie Bullock contributed seven.
