White House High senior point guard Alyssa Armstrong dribbles away from her own basket as Cheatham County’s Rylee Cornstubble defends during second-quarter action.
White House High junior guard McKenzie Vaughn dribbles upcourt during first-quarter action. Vaughn scored four points.
White House High senior guard Lauren Felts looks to pass as Cheatham County’s Eryn Nelson defends during first-quarter action.
WHITE HOUSE The White House High girls basketball team had a rough outing on Friday evening.
The Lady Devils fell behind 23-6 after one quarter and never recovered in a 63-32 loss to visiting Cheatham County.
White House (1-9 overall, 0-4 in District 9-AA) scored just 14 points in the first half as the Lady Cubs (6-5, 2-1) held a 43-14 lead at halftime.
“(Cheatham County) just beat the crap out of us,” White House head coach Jeff Bennett said. “They played really well. They move well. They’re a good basketball team. Our girls were shook.”
Cheatham County (6-5, 2-1) forced numerous turnovers and had a size advantage inside with senior center Tiffany Smith.
“Even if you beat their pace, you’ve still got 6-foot-2 (Smith) to deal with inside,” Bennett said. “That’s hard to beat.”
Senior point guard Alyssa Armstrong led White House with eight points, followed by classmate Lauren Felts and junior Stephanie Palmer with seven points each.
White House kept things mostly even throughout the second half, allowing only 19 points. However, the Lady Devils only managed 18 points and were unable to cut into Cheatham County’s lead.
Cheatham County pulled away early with a 25-4 run over a span of six minutes over the first and second quarters, including 14 unanswered points. The Lady Cubs led 29-6 with seven minutes to play in the first half.
Jorden Bumpus hit three of the Lady Cubs’ five 3-pointers in the contest.
“It’s not just the size,” Bennett said. “They’re a good basketball team all the way through. They shoot it well, they hustle.”
Palmer and Armstrong combined for five unanswered points in the third quarter, and Armstrong added six more points in the fourth.
The Lady Cubs entered Friday’s game averaging 55 points per game and surpassed the 60-point mark for the fourth time this season, winning each of those contests.
White House was held to its lowest point total since a 62-28 loss at Maplewood in its season opener on Nov. 19.
The two teams will meet again on Feb. 2 at Cheatham County. White House’s next action comes at the Santa Fe Christmas Tournament beginning on Dec. 28.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
CHEATHAM COUNTY (62) – Jorden Bumpus 13, Abbi Douglas 10, Emmy Nelson 9, Josie Bumpus 8, Tiffany Smith 8, Rachel Allen 7, Rylee Whittaker 4, Eryn Nelson 3.
WHITE HOUSE (32) – Alyssa Armstrong 8, Laruen Felts 7, Stephanie Palmer 7, McKenzie Vaughn 4, Hailee Ellis 2, Bailey Hutchison 2, Bryanna Allen 1, Allyson Trimmer 1.
Half: 43-14, Cheatham County. 3-point goals: Cheatham County 5 (Bumpus 3, Allen 2), White House 1 (Felts 1). Records: Cheatham County 6-5, 2-1 in District 9-AA; White House 1-9, 0-4.