Lady 'Cats claw Gallatin

GALLATIN — The Lady Wildcats of Wilson Central dominated District 9-AAA rival Gallatin with a 63-43 win Friday night.
The Lady Wave led twice in the contest, scoring the game's first basket and going ahead 4-3 at 4:33 of the first before Wilson Central regained the lead on a layup from Jasmine Hassell moments later.
The No. 5 Lady Wildcats ended the first period with a 10-2 run to take a 16-8 lead.
"We did a good job of combining our inside and outside game," Wilson Central coach Bud Brandon said after his team improved to 23-3 for the year and 8-2 in district play.
Gallatin was held scoreless for just over four minutes of the second period before firing in 11 unanswered points. Despite the rally, the Lady Wave entered the locker room down 33-21.
"Our bench can come in and give us a lift when we need it," Brandon said. "To have that in games like this one is very important."
Although only seven points came from the bench, the presence defensively was noticeable. Wilson Central forced 15 turnovers which led to 23 points.
The third quarter gave the Lady Wildcats a 47-32 advantage.
"I think they played real well tonight," Brandon said.
Tierney Jenkins led all scorers with 24 points for Central. Jessyca Christopher and Hassell both tossed in 12 points, Lauren Wasson added seven and Chelsea Burroughs and Sara Williams finished with four apiece.
Ginny Huntsberry knocked down 12 points for the Lady Wave.
WIlson Central hosts county and district rival [and the state's top-ranked team] Mt. Juliet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Staff Writer Kimberly Jordan can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 44 or by e-mail at kimberly.jordan@lebanondemocrat.com.