HENDERSONVILLE Portland High senior Alyssa Chatmon had a thousand reasons to be happy on Friday evening.
Portland High sophomore point guard Rachel Jennings drives to the basket as Beech senior Deja Smith defends during first-quarter action. Jennings scored seven points.
The Portland High senior surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her career, scoring 11 points in the Lady Panthers’ 39-37 victory at Beech.
Chatmon reached the milestone with a 10-foot jump shot with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter. She learned of her accomplishment from Portland head coach Miranda Cravens in the locker room after the game.
“I had no idea,” Chatmon said. “I literally dropped my water bottle and stared into the distance. I was completely caught off guard.”
Portland High senior Alyssa Chatmon elevates for a first-quarter layin. Chatmon scored her 1,000th career point during Friday evening’s win over Beech.
The Lady Panthers (13-11 overall, 6-6 in District 9-AAA) had to fight off a fourth-quarter rally from Beech as the Lady Bucs (8-17, 5-7) scored the game’s final six points to give themselves an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds. However, senior Deja Smith’s layin wouldn’t fall with two seconds left.
“I’ve been very happy with our last two second-half performances,” Beech interim head coach Troy Carnes said. “We really have done some great things against some quality teams and had chances to win.”
Smith scored a game-high 24 points, making 8 of 11 from the free-throw line.
“I knew that this would end up being a close game,” Portland head coach Miranda Cravens said. “Beech has always been very competitive. I think they played us, defensively, better than I think anyone we’ve played all year.”
Beech High sophomore Savannah Jarratt elevates for a layin during second-quarter action. Jarratt scored five points.
Both Smith and sophomore Reese Taylor made two free throws over the final 90 seconds of the contest, and then, Smith converted a layin with 32.1 seconds remaining to pull the Lady Bucs within a point.
Portland senior guard Erica Keen missed the front end of bonus situation from the foul line, giving the Lady Bucs their final opportunity to complete the comeback.
“I did feel like they played tougher (defense),” Carnes said. “(Portland) hit three (3-pointers), and we could have just folded. We could have been discouraged by that, but we weren’t. I was especially proud of how they fought back tonight.”
Portland suffered losses to Mt. Juliet and Hendersonville by a combined four points in its last two games.
Beech High freshman forward Kendra Mueller dribbles against Portland junior forward Mackenzie Trouten during second-quarter action.
Portland is in a position to finish in fourth place in District 9-AAA. The Lady Panthers host Wilson Central on Tuesday and Lebanon on Friday to close the district portion of their schedule.
“It brings up the morale of the girls to get a win,” Cravens – whose squad also claimed a 60-37 win over the visiting Lady Bucs on Jan. 12 – said. “It’s very beneficial going into tournament time.”
Beech hosts Lebanon on Tuesday and plays at Hendersonville on Friday to close the regular season.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
PORTLAND (39) – Alyssa Chatmon 11, Rachel Jennings 7, Mackenzie Trouten 7, Taylor Cole 5, Cristina Herrera 5, Erica Keen 4.
BEECH (37) – Deja Smith 24, Savannah Jarratt 5, Reese Taylor 5, McCall Decker 3.
Half: 20-10, Portland. Three-point goals: Portland 4 (Chatmon 1, Cole 1, Herrera 1, Jennings 1), Beech 4 (Smith 2, Decker 1, Taylor 1). Records: Portland 13-11 overall, 6-6 in District 9-AAA; Beech 8-17, 5-7.