Lady Jr. Cyclones nipped by Unicoi

from staff reports

   ERWIN -- Tuesday's season-ending game for the T.A. Dugger girls varsity basketball team was going fine until it reached the fourth quarter. That's when Unicoi County outscored the Lady Jr. Cyclones by nine points to snare a 42-39 Middle Eight Conference victory.
   TAD led at the end of the first quarter (8-4), at halftime (19-16), and at the end of the third quarter (32-26).
   Hannah Fritz had a standout game for the Lady Cyclones, collecting teams highs in points, 15, and rebounds, eight. Leah Henson, Kelli Culler and Mariah Pietrowski added six points apiece, with Pietrowski pulling down five boards.
   Minor was tops for the Lady Patriots, scoring 17. Vannoy and Banks each tallied six.
   The Lady Cyclones (14-4, 10-2) will enter the conference tournament as a No. 2 seed, hosting Ross Robinson in an opening-round contest this Thursday at 5 p.m. The tournament shifts to Indian Trail after the first round.
   Junior Varsity
   T.A. Dugger 54
   Unicoi County 28
   Riding the hot hand of Kelly Aubrey and rock solid performance from Madisson Barnett, the Lady Cyclones rolled to victory in their final appearance of the season.
   Aubrey kept the bookkeepers busy by pouring in a 21 points, and Barnett manufactured a total of eight points and seven rebounds.
   April Davis contributed seven points for TAD, which got six apiece from Madison McKinney and Lauren Taylor.
   Whitney Forbes chipped in six rebounds, with Pietrowski grabbing five.
   Up 22-16 at the half, the Lady Cyclones took total control in the third quarter, outscoring Unicoi 15-6.
   With the win, TAD was able to finish with a winning conference record, at 7-5.
   Gentry's seven-point game led the Lady Pats. Treadway added six points.