WHITE HOUSE The Westmoreland High School girls basketball team was in position to win on Saturday evening … until the final 20 seconds.
Second-seeded Cheatham County scored the final five points, handing the third-seeded Lady Eagles a 51-46 setback in a District 9-AA Tournament semifinal contest played at White House Heritage High School.
“They played a heck of a game,” Westmoreland head coach Cherie Abner said of the Lady Cubs. “They came out and shot it well. Overall, they had a good game plan.
“I didn’t think we played bad in the first quarter, and we gave up 16 points. We withstood that. They just made more plays than us. That’s the bottom line.”
The Lady Eagles held a five-point lead when junior forward Karley Smith made a high-low, entry pass to classmate Kaitlyn Norman for an interior basket to open the fourth-quarter scoring.
Westmoreland High junior forward Kaitlyn Norman dribbles into the lane as Cheatham County junior Josie Bumpus defends. Norman scored a game-high 19 points in the Lady Eagles’ 51-46 loss on Saturday evening.
However, Lady Cub freshman Jorden Bumpus responded with a 3-pointer 15 seconds later.
There was one tie and two lead changes over the final four minutes.
Westmoreland junior point guard Gracie Oliver made two free throws with 21.7 seconds remaining to tie the contest at 46, but a foul six seconds later sent Cheatham County guard Emmy Nelson to the free-throw line. Nelson made both shots to place her squad in front to stay.
Westmoreland High junior point guard Gracie Oliver dribbles to the basket as Cheatham County freshman Emmy Nelson defends. Oliver scored four points.
An errant pass led to a Lady Eagle turnover on the ensuing possession, and free throws from Nelson and junior center Tiffany Smith over the final five seconds sealed the win.
“Offensively, we did enough,” Abner said. “We didn’t have a lot of turnovers, but the ones we had were at crucial times.”
Cheatham County (19-7) opened the game by racing out to an 18-10 lead.
Lady Cub freshman guard Abbi Douglas scored eight points over the first seven minutes before picking up her second foul.
Douglas picked up her third and fourth fouls over a 29-second span late in the third period and eventually fouled out with 2:48 remaining, but she finished with a team-high 17 points.
Westmoreland (24-5) held Cheatham County scoreless over the final seven-plus minutes of the first half, with second-quarter baskets from Norman, Karley Smith and senior guard Haley Braswell giving the Lady Eagles a 19-18 lead at halftime.
The Lady Eagles withstood foul trouble in the first half as junior guard Lexie McCormick had three fouls. Both Oliver and senior teammate Jesica Eppstein picked up two fouls in the first half.
Westmoreland High senior guard Jesica Eppstein dribbles past Cheatham County freshman Abbi Douglas. Eppstein scored five points.
“It was a lot of effort (defensively) but dumb fouls,” Abner said. “It put them at the free-throw line.”
Westmoreland took a 33-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
With the 6-foot-2 Tiffany Smith primarily guarding Karley Smith, Norman took advantage of a mismatch inside to score 11 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.
“That definitely got us in the ballgame,” Abner said. “It got them coming out and stopped them from pressuring our guards as hard.
“Kaitlyn played well. We worked hard in practice in getting her to finish (plays). It worked out for us.”
It was the most points that the Lady Eagles have allowed this season, and due to the loss, they will be forced to travel for their Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal game on Friday.
Westmoreland High senior guard Haley Braswell releases a second-quarter 3-pointer in front of Cheatham County’s Macy Douglas. Braswell scored nine points.
The two teams just five days earlier, with Westmoreland suffering a 46-38 loss at Cheatham County. The Lady Eagles captured a 43-37 win over the visiting the Lady Cubs on Dec. 8.
Each of Westmoreland’s five losses have come by margins of eight points or fewer.
Cheatham County extended its winning streak to 10 games and advanced to face top-seeded Sycamore in Tuesday evening’s championship game, while the Lady Eagles fell into Monday evening’s consolation game against fourth-seeded White House Heritage.
Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.
WESTMORELAND (46) – Kaitlyn Norman 19, Haley Braswell 9, Karley Smith 9, Jesica Eppstein 5, Gracie Oliver 4.
CHEATHAM COUNTY (51) – Abbi Douglas 17, Emmy Nelson 12, Tiffany Smith 9, Josie Bumpus 8, Jorden Bumpus 3, Macy Douglas 2.
Half: 19-18, Westmoreland. Three-point goals: Westmoreland 3 (Braswell 3), Cheatham County 3 (Douglas 2, Nelson 1). Records: Westmoreland 24-5, Cheatham County 19-7.
