Beech 64, Gallatin 34: 4 things to know from the Lady Buccaneers win

Kennedy Powell’s 16 points helped lift Beech over Gallatin (5-5), giving the Buccaneers (7-2) their third straight win and third win in District 9-AAA on the season.

Here are five things to know from the Buccaneers win.

Beech’s Mueller impacting in multiple ways

Kendra Mueller wasn’t the Bucs leading scorer, but she found other ways to help her team earn the win.

 “I like playing Gallatin because it helps our team stay composed and learn patience,” Mueller said. “We’ve been working on our patience a lot lately. We should have kept them to a lower score, but we got some younger girls in which was exciting.”

Muller grabbed 10 rebounds, added two blocks and a pair of steals to go along with her four points.

District 9-AAA

The Buccaneers finished third in the District 9-AAA tournament last season before losing in the Region 5-AAA quarterfinals to Rossview.

“In district play you have to protect your home court,” Beech coach Catie Utley said. “Our goal is to get started fast this year and the girls have come in and done a good job.”

This season, Beech has won its opening three 9-AAA games, establishing its presence in the district,  Utley said.

“It’s really important to get these home victories,” Utley said. “We’re going to be going on the road a lot after Christmas, which is why we stress establishing ourselves early.”

Buccaneers streaking

With the win, Beech is now winners of three in a row, something Utley attributes to her team’s willingness to play sound defense.

“Defensively we helped well and kept them out of the lane,” Utley said. “We had too many turnovers, but when you can play a game like this with so many turnovers and get the win it’s a good night.”

No place like home

Although the Green Wave have now dropped three straight games, they return home for a six-game home-stand hoping to turn things around.

“It helps us a little bit knowing we’ll be playing at home for the next several games,” Gallatin coach Jerry Landers said. “We’ll be in our routine. It’s big to be at home because our district is tough and (Beech) is one of the best.”

Reach Andrew Preston at APreston@tennessean.com or 615-259-8015 and on Twitter @AndrewPreston33