Dobyns-Bennett trims Lady Cyclones

By Travis Brown
STAR Correspondent

   The Dobyns-Bennett Lady Indians came into Treadway Gymnasium Friday night and only managed to lead for about four minutes. Two of those were the final ones as the Lady Indians dealt a 47-46 loss to the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones on their home floor.
   Neither team dominated the contest, but the Lady Indians found the right combination late to pull off the victory on the young season.
   According to Kingsport skipper Roger France, his club put it all together late to take home the win.
   "This was a team win," France said. "Everybody won this game for us."
   The contest started off at a snail's pace as neither team could find an offensive rhythm early in the first quarter. Despite the slow pace, the Lady Cyclones crept out to a 7-3 lead heading to the second quarter.
   Although leading after one period of play, the first quarter brought bad news as well. Midway through the period, Cyclone all-conference player Rikki Baughman went down with an injury and would not return.
   The second period saw the Lady Cyclones stretch the lead to seven behind strong foul shooting and tough defense. Both teams looked eager to get into the locker room as offensive adjustments were indeed in order.
   At the start of the third period the Lady Indians would step up their play significantly, as they went on an 8-0 run. With 4:30 to play in the third, Danielle Zimmerman supplied Dobyns-Bennett a brief lead as she drained two foul shots to take a 21-20 advantage.
   The Lady Cyclones responded with authority, putting together six unanswered points of their own to close out the period strong. After the dust had settled, Elizabethton held a 32-23 lead going into the final chapter.
   That chapter would be a dim one, as defensive breakdowns and ill-advised passes would allow the Lady Indians to come roaring back in the late stages.
   An offensive explosion capped by a three pointer by Lauren Jervis and a transition two by Christine Horton gave D-B the lead, 33-32. Once again, the Lady Cyclones responded as Tanya Dykes scored a pair of buckets to regain control.
   However in the closing moments turnovers would cost the Cyclones dearly, with the seesaw battle slowly slipping away during the final minute.
   The Lady Cyclones had an opportunity with 25 seconds left, needing two points to tie, and a three-point foul resulted in a trip to the line for Eden Treadway. The iron was unkind as she could only convert one of three, then time expired with a D-B victory.
   Elizabethton head coach Mike Wilson was understandably disappointed after the contest, citing turnovers as the Cyclones downfall.
   "We didn't take care of the ball," Wilson said "We have to take care of the ball if we are going to win."
   When asked what adjustments will need to be made, Wilson was quite clear that change is good.
   "I'm going to think long and hard about playing some younger kids," Wilson said. "They played well tonight when we needed them."