Bella Vinson stepped up when the spotlight shined the brightest Monday night.
Held to just 4 points in the first half, the Central High School senior dropped a pair of 3-pointers on back to back trips down the floor in the fourth quarter and then buried a pair of free throws to close the game as the Lady Raiders beat Summertown 41-36 in the semi-finals of the Corey Brewer Christmas Tournament in Portland, Tenn.
The game was broadcast live on Thunder Radio. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.
“I was struggling a little,” said Vinson. “Nothing was really falling for me but you got to focus on the next one. [Summertown] is a really good team. That was good for us. I’m glad we got this game in.”
Coffee County went on an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter after being tied 28-28 after three quarters, but Summertown made a run to make the game close again. Jalie Ruehling hit two free throws to put CHS up 39-36 and Vinson sealed the game with 2 more free throws with 4 seconds to play.
Vinson finished with 14 points, Ruehling 6, Alivia Reel 6, Elli Chumley 6, Chloe Gannon 5 and Emma Fulks 4.
The win moves the Lady Raiders to 10-1 overall and sets them up in the championship game against Stewarts Creek at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. That game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and on thunder1320.com.
Lady Raiders – 50
PJPII – 32
The Lady Raiders started the day with a 50-32 win over PJPII in Portland, Tenn.
Bella Vinson dropped 19 points in the win, followed by Ruehling with 9 – 7 of which came in the second half when she heated up. Elli Chumley got 8 points – 5 coming at the free throw line. Alivia Reel added 7, Emma Fulks 4 and Chloe Gannon 3.
“I was glad to see [Alivia Reel] knock down some shots for us,” said CHS head coach Joe Pat Cope. “She really needed that. She’s a big part of our offense.”
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE REPLAY.
