B

NEW TAZEWELL – There’s just something about rivalry games.

After falling behind 20-4 at the end of the first period, the Claiborne Lady Bulldogs turned things around and actually took the lead early in the fourth period before Cumberland Gap responded to grab the lead right back. Hope Cole hit a three for Claiborne with 30 seconds remaining to tie the game at 49-49 but Jayla Bailey’s two free throws with 14 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner in a 51-49 victory for the Lady Panthers Friday night at The Pound.

“It was a slow start in a big game where we got some good looks but just couldn’t make anything connect,” Claiborne head coach Andrew McGinnis said of the tough opening period. “We made an adjustment and made them run and that was effective. The girls played hard and did a lot of good things, we just came up a little short.”

Claiborne just couldn’t get anything going in the first eight minutes of the game as Emily Buchanan’s two free throws and a basket by Jacey Ferguson at the buzzer produced the only four points the Lady Bulldogs had. Claiborne turned things around in the second period as they limited The Gap to only a pair of threes by Kelly Hatfield. Meanwhile on offense, Claiborne finally got some shots to fall but still trailed 26-15 going to the break.

The start of the second half was owned by the Lady Dawgs as they lived at the free throw line in the third period, shooting 11 freebies and hitting them all. Buchanan’s two free tosses with 36 seconds remaining knotted the score at 34-34 headed to the fourth. Ferguson brought the Claiborne fans to their feet as she connected on a three early in the fourth that gave the home team their first lead of the contest. Cumberland Gap responded with a 12-0 output as it appeared they were ready to put the game away with less than three minutes remaining. Claiborne was having nothing of it as Cole connected on another long-range shot and that started a run that got the Lady Bulldogs into a position to tie the contest on her third triple of the night but Bailey’s two free throws sealed the deal for The Gap.

“I should have probably helped us more in that 12-0 run and try to stop the bleeding a little earlier, but this is a very resilient group and I’m excited for the upcoming tournament,” McGinnis said. “Quitting is certainly not in this team’s DNA. They are senior led, we start five seniors, so it’s not about quitting, we just have to find a way to make a few more plays late to get over the hump.”

“I think there is still a lot of potential for us to move a long way in the tournament so I am proud of the effort and fight,” McGinnis said of the upcoming district tournament.

Cole led Grainger with 13 points, Buchanan had 12, eight of which came at the charity stripe in the second half and Ferguson finished with 11 points. Bailey paced the Lady Panthers with 15 points followed by 13 from Kelly Hatfield, and 12 from Jenna Middleton.