GALLATIN Beech High and Station Camp High’s girls basketball teams have become quite familiar with each other this season.
Beech High junior guard McCall Decker maneuvers around Station Camp sophomore Jessica Hopson during fourth-quarter action. Decker scored 14 points in the Lady Bucs’ 53-45 victory.
The visiting Lady Buccaneers made the third time a charm, holding off the Lady Bison for a 53-45 victory on Thursday evening in Station Camp’s annual pink out game.
Beech (7-14 overall, 4-4 in District 9-AAA) completed a sweep of the season series – among games that count in District 9-AAA play – but the Lady Bucs had to learn a lesson from a 43-39 loss to the Lady Bison on Dec. 23 at the Smoky Mountain Classic in Gatlinburg.
“We lost to them in Gatlinburg, so it was very important for us to come in here and get this win,” Beech senior guard Deja Smith said. “We knew what was going to happen, so we were better prepared for it.”
Smith led all scorers with 23 points, with 14 of those coming in the first half as the Lady Bucs battled to a 24-22 advantage at halftime.
“We knew we could play with them if we could just guard the right people,” Beech interim head coach Troy Carnes said. “I was really proud because Station Camp came out hard and punched us in the mouth, and we took it and fought back.”
Beech came out of the break and attempted to make the game a runaway in the third quarter, scoring the first 12 points of the half before Station Camp freshman Peyton Strickland hit a 3-pointer with 3:14 remaining to halt the Lady Bison dry spell.
Fans were encouraged to wear pink to Thursday evening’s games at Station Camp as part of the school’s pink out night, benefiting cancer research. The Lady Bison wore white uniforms with pink numbers with the word, Hope, on the front.
“To go into the locker room with a lead was a big mental boost, and then, we came out in the third quarter and played really, really hard and got up,” Carnes said.
Station Camp interim head coach Jill Gregory added, “You just can’t come out flat like that (in the third quarter). The third quarter hurt us. We had opportunities. They just didn’t fall.”
Sophomore Jane Deason and freshman Olivia Delk paced the Lady Bison (8-13, 3-5) with 10 points each.
“We played a lot better tonight than the first time we played (in a 40-25 loss at Beech on Dec. 4),” Gregory said. “We just couldn’t make those shots to put them away.”
Station Camp High junior Emiline Payne shoots a jump shot over Beech sophomore Reese Taylor during third-quarter action. Payne scored eight points.
Station Camp scored eight unanswered points to trim Beech’s advantage to four (40-36) when Strickland hit two of three free-throw attempts with 6:32 remaining in regulation.
The Lady Bison drew within three points (45-42) on a free throw from sophomore LaPraysia Ward with 1:03 to play, but they were unable to get any closer. Both Smith and junior McCall Decker hit four free throws in the game’s final minute.
Decker finished with 14 points.
The victory evened the Lady Bucs district record in front of a packed gym for pink out night.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Smith said. “We have a lot of freshmen that take the student section seriously, so we have to tell them to just block them out and play the game.”
The Lady Bison received a surprise prior to the contest as head coach Kendra Jackson sent the team a video. Jackson, who has been battling lymphoma, is not coaching this season as she recovers from a bone marrow transplant that she received from her sister, Christina MacLean, last April.
Beech High freshman Kendra Mueller battles Station Camp sophomore Jessica Hopson for a loose ball during third-quarter action.
“They know that we do this night for Kendra, and they play hard,” Gregory said. “Before the game, she sent them a video, and they got a kick out of that. They know what this game means to them and to her.”
Beech travels to Wilson Central on Tuesday, while Station Camp plays at Portland.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
BEECH (53) – Deja Smith 23, McCall Decker 14, Reese Taylor 8, Kendra Mueller 6, Savannah Jarratt 2.
STATION CAMP (45) – Jane Deason 10, Olivia Delk 10, Emiline Payne 8, LaPraysia Ward 6, Peyton Strickland 5, Cassidy Fry 3, Jessica Hopson 3.
Half: 24-22, Beech. Three-point goals: Beech 4 (Decker 2, Taylor 2), Station Camp 6 (Deason 2, Hopson 1, Fry 1, Payne 1, Strickland 1). Records: Beech 7-14 overall, 4-4 in District 9-AAA; Station Camp 8-13, 3-5.