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MORRISTOWN — Morristown East struggled to keep up with Sevier County’s offensive drives Friday night as they fell 63-48.

The loss moves the Lady Canes’ record to 9-11 overall, and 2-2 in the district.

Three girls led the team in baskets with double digits. Ella Wampler had 15 points, followed by Finley Surber with 14 and Hailey Hall with 13.

Other scorers were Hannah Hall with four and Riley Forester with two.

East was off to a good start in the first quarter. Sevier began the game scoring seven straight, but the Lady Canes responded with a seven-point run, which tied the game.

A couple baskets were exchanged by each team to end the first. Hailey Hall started the game with five, followed by Surber with four and Wampler with two. East ended the quarter behind by one, 12-11.

Sevier kept the lead in the second quarter, and extended it by six points. Surber scored four, while Hannah Hall and Wampler each chipped in two.

After the half, the Bearettes consistently found the bucket, and the Lady Canes struggled to catch up. Wampler had seven in the third, while Surber had four. Sevier outscored East by seven, ending the third quarter with a score of 46-30, doubling the lead.

“Both those kids play hard every night. They’re tough to guard and they get the ball in there,” Combs said about Surber and Wampler. “I thought we did a better job in the second half finding them.”

East attempted to step up their offense in the fourth, but Sevier kept shooting consistently to match the Canes’ points. The Bearettes took home the win with a final score of 63-48.

Combs spoke about improvements for upcoming games, saying, “We’ve definitely got to get better offensively. Limiting turnovers, taking care of the ball and finding a way to get stops. You can’t give up 63 points and win games.”

The Bearettes are currently first place in the district, with a 4-0 district record.

“We’ve got to give Sevier County a lot of credit. They’re obviously first in the district for a reason. Talented team, well coached and they run their offense really well and execute it really well,” Combs said.

Before traveling to face their town rivals Friday night, the Lady Canes will travel to Volunteer High School Monday night to take on the Lady Falcons, who are 6-12 for the season so far.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday night.