The Stewarts Creek girls’ basketball team breezed through their first six opponents, but finally got a test when they traveled to MTCS Thursday night.
The Red Hawks aced the exam, though, and defeated MTCS 60-43 at the defending DII-A runners-up gym.
Stewarts Creek, whose margin of victory was over 40 points a game entering the matchup against the Cougars, improved to 7-0 and is averaging 70 points per game. MTCS dropped to 4-2 on the young season.
“We knew this would be our toughest test and we prepared for it all week,” Stewarts Creek coach Bianca Hensley said. “The crowd and atmosphere were outstanding. We gave them multiple looks defensively and mixed things up, and I think it helped us and hurt them.”
In the opening quarter, the Cougars came out firing, backed by outside shooting as two perimeter shots from freshman Anna Clay Shirley helped stake them to a 17-10 lead.
The second quarter was a different story. With Johnson C. Smith signee Taylor Turner on the bench, Stewarts’ Creek outscored MTCS 17-2 for a nine-point halftime lead at 27-18.
“We just couldn’t block out. They had 17 offensive rebounds in the game,” MTCS coach Hannah Jones said. “We got good looks in the second quarter but they wouldn’t fall. When we’re not scoring, I preach defense. I am pleased where we are as a team right now.”
Stewarts Creek extended the lead to 15 with play from Autumn Crick, who had 11 of the team’s 23 bench points.
BOX SCORE
Stewarts Creek (60): Autumn Crick 11, Megan Henegar 10, Camden Ward 9, Taylor Turner 9, Jayda Bernard 6, Ashley Crick 6, Reese Hale 5, Layla Wilder 4.
MTCS (43): Madison Graham 13, Riley Smith 12, Anna Clay Shirley 8, Autumn Davis 6, Ashley Rucker 4.
BOYS
Stewarts Creek 53 MTCS 38
A 6-6 tie in the opening quarter turned into a 12-point lead at 18-6 for Stewarts Creek after eight minutes.
After that, outside shooting from MTCS’ Caleb Mills and Andrew Adams got the Cougars back into the game, tying things at 32-32 early in the second half.
Turnovers did the Cougars in, and late buckets and free throws by Stewarts Creek propelled the Red Hawks to the 15-point win.
Stewarts Creek is 4-2, and MTCS is 2-3.
Stewarts Creek was led by Caelum Harris with 18 points. He played this past summer playing overseas on the FIBA circuit trying to make the World Cup.
“It wasn’t so much of a culture shock, but I had to do everything by myself as far as working out, getting out of bed, practice as my parents weren’t there with me,” Harris said. “We played in a tough bracket against Japan and Australia, and even though we didn’t make the World Cup the coaches said I had potential to maybe play as a professional, and I have already got contact from colleges as I want to go to college here in the states.”
First-year MTCS coach Greg Eubanks pointed to turnovers as the big difference in the game.
“We had 25 turnovers tonight, and you can’t beat a middle school team doing that,” he said. “But the kids are working hard, and I am throwing a lot at them.”
BOX SCORE
Stewarts Creek (53): Caelum Harris 18, Shelden Davis 11, Dylan Bernard 8, Makhi Britton 7, Justin Odum 5, Brandon Jamison 2, Micah Shaw 2.
MTCS (38): Caleb Mills 9, Devin Hill 7, Briggs Boyd 7, Grant Haussin 6, Andrew Adams 4, Ryan Dodson 3, Charles Dillard 2.
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