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BY C.Y. PETERS

Star Correspondent

The Cloudland Lady Landers secured a crucial conference victory on Monday night, overcoming a second-half deficit to defeat Unaka Lady Rangers 52-46 and claim sole possession of second place in the league standings.

Trailing through the second and third quarters, Matt Birchfield’s squad used a dominant fourth quarter to snap Unaka’s nine-game winning streak, handing the Lady Rangers their third consecutive loss.

“We had balanced scoring, and I thought the girls did a great job holding Unaka to only five points in the final period,” Birchfield said.

The contest was tight throughout, featuring six ties, with Cloudland jumping out to a 7-2 lead before Unaka responded behind the one-two punch of Michelle Shields and Ari Sutherland. The teams finished the first quarter knotted at 14.

Unaka took a slim 24-22 advantage into halftime and extended its lead to three after outscoring Cloudland 17-16 in the third period. However, the tide shifted midway through the fourth.

Abriella Jones pulled the Lady Landers within one at 41-40 before Makinna Shell’s go-ahead basket gave Cloudland the lead for good. Unaka’s interior presence suffered a blow when post player Keyona Hague fouled out, while Katlyn Dugger was forced to play cautiously with four fouls.

Cloudland took advantage, building a 49-41 lead as Unaka struggled with costly turnovers. The Lady Rangers clawed back within three at 49-46, but Reagan Blair sealed the win with clutch free throws in the final seconds.

The Lady Landers’ trio of Jones, Blair, and Shell each scored 14 points to lead the offensive charge. Shields, who knocked down six three-pointers, paced Unaka with 20 points. Kalli Shepard turned in a good performance for the Rangers, scoring 11 points and hitting three big treys in the second half.

Cloudland now faces a tough two-game stretch against North Greene and Hampton, while Unaka (14-6, 1-2 conference) looks to bounce back on Tuesday with a road trip to Hampton.

Cloudland 14 8 16 14 – 52
Unaka 14 10 17 5 – 46

Cloudland: McCarry 2, Blair 14, Street 8, Shell 14, Jones 14
Unaka: Shields 20, Douglas 2, Sutherland 9, Shepard 11, Campbell 4