KINGSPORT—The Jr. Lady Highlanders left no questions Monday as they opened the TMSSAA Class East Sectional at John Sevier Middle School.
Holding Baileyton to single digits up until the final minutes of the game, Cloudland made easy work of their quarterfinal opponent en route to a 36-10 win.
With the victory, the Jr. Lady Highlanders advanced on the semifinals where they will take on Sulpher Springs at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. A win over a Sulpher Spring will earn Cloudland a shot at the Sectional title and a chance to travel to Nashville for the TMSSAA state championships.
Monday, Jr. Lady Highlander Kendall Birchfield led the way as she recorded 11 points, nine of which came off of three 3-pointers. Birchfield was followed up by teammate Izabella Christman who recorded ten points.
“It is a good time for us,” said Cloudland head coach Matt Birchfield. “It was good for us to come in here during the quarterfinals of a big game in a different environment and gym. We were able to relax and play. We just have to keep improving one day at a time.”
After one, the Jr. Lady Highlanders held a small 5-2 lead over Baileyton. Cloudland Elementary, however, locked things down in the second quarter as they posted 14 points in the quarter while holding Baileyton to zero points in the period. The second quarter saw Christman work the nets for six points. The Jr. Lady ‘Landers closed the period as Bella Clawson drove home a layup off a steal. Heading into the half, Cloudland led 19-2.
Birchfield hit a trey to open the third quarter to jump Cloudland ahead 22-2. Down the third-quarter stretch, Christman had putback bucket to give Cloudland a 26- 5 lead heading into the final period.
Birchfield hit another trey to open up the fourth quarter before hitting Christman with an assist to give Cloudland a 31-5 early in the final frame. Following a foul shot from Ella Benfield, Cloudland’s Hannah Morgan dropped in a bucket to keep the Jr. Lady ‘Landers rolling. Cloudland closed out the game with Kaylee Hughes hitting a buzzer-beating layup to give Cloudland its final tally.
Earlier in the day, the Hampton Jr. Lady Bulldogs took on Mary Hughes but fell 44-38 in a close contest. Linsey Jenkins led Hampton with a 14-point performance.
The loss brought the Jr. Lady Bulldogs season to a close.