LEBANON — A nine-game losing streak came to a screeching halt on Monday. It was home sweet home for the Lebanon girls at Charles C. Long Gymnasium. After being hammered 75-56 in a loss at Narrows on January 3rd, just over a month later, the Pioneers returned the favor with a stunning 42-29 non-district win.
“That loss was early in the season,” said forward Katie Jones. “As the season has gone on, we’ve grown as a team, and we’re playing together. That really showed tonight.”
Lebanon had last won at Tazewell almost seven weeks ago. To win impressively against the Green Wave, that is, fighting with Parry McCluer for the top spot in the Pioneer District.
“This feels amazing,” Jones said. “I know we can do this. Tonight, we hyped each other up and really played together. It feels good to win and end the losing streak for sure.”
Is there pressure on Jones, the only senior on a roster with six sophomores, one freshman, and one junior?
“Honestly, I just go out and play,” commented Jones. “My teammates motivate me, we motivate each other. As a senior, I like to keep everyone up, playing together, I couldn’t do it without my team.”
Lebanon raced out to a 10-2 lead at the beginning of the game and held a 13-8 advantage after eight minutes of play.
Narrows (9-10) took their first lead at 16-15 when Addy Johnson made a layup with 2:56 to play in the first half. Karsyn Reed added a 3-pointer to put the Wave up by four. The Pioneers ended the half on a 6-0 run, taking a 21-19 lead on a jumper by Chloe Couch at the break.
“I told the girls if we could break through the press early, they might get out of it,” Lebanon coach Rex Parker said. “Up at their place, we probably turned it over 25 to 30 times. We did a good job of taking care of the ball, rebounded well, and played good position defense tonight.”
Lebanon (3-14) kept the momentum, confidently playing in the second half. They outscored Narrows 21-10 in the final 16 minutes. Jones was huge, scoring all seven of her points in the second half, including a critical 3-for-4 effort from the foul line in the final two minutes.
“There was some pressure,” Jones said. “I knew we could win it, we were so close. As a senior, I just tried to step up and try harder.”
Lia Beck (12 points) and Couch (11) were the offensive leaders for the Pioneers. The defense was stellar, holding the Green Wave to 46 fewer points than in the first meeting.
“Big win for us,” Parker said. “Narrows put it on us up there. We were able to make some shots tonight, and we’re moving well in our 2-3 zone, covering the shooters and taking away some inside passes. Overall, this was probably our best game of the season.”
Narrows was led by sophomore Ellyn Bowles and freshman Marayka Knoetze, who each scored six points.
“We just got outplayed,” said Narrows coach Bradley Sutphin. “You have to play when you come on the road. Credit to Lebanon; they played better than we did, harder than we did, and just outhustled us everywhere.
“We got away from what we typically try to do. We tried to push the tempo, and Lebanon did a good job of getting back. We took quick shots at times, and that put us behind the eight-ball. Hat’s off to Lebanon they deserved to win.”
NARROWS 8 11 4 6 — 29: Helvey 2 0-0 4, Johnson 2 1-6 5, Reed 2 0-0 5, Bowles 2 2-4 6, Knoetze 3 0-0 6, B. McCroskey 0 0-0 0, Clark 1 0-0 3, Gilbert 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 3-10 29.
LEBANON 13 8 11 10 — 42: Horne 1 0-0 2, Couch 4 3-6 11, Beck 6 0-0 12, Jones 2 3-4 7, Fields 1 1-4 3, Ka. Morrison 3 0-2 7, Rasnake 0 0-0 0, Ward 0 0-0 0, Ku. Morrison 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-16 42.
3-point goals: Narrows 2 (Reed 1, Clark 1). Lebanon 1 (Ka. Morrison 1). Fouls: Narrows 19, Lebanon 15. Fouled out: Beck. Technicals: Lebanon bench. JV game: Lebanon 29-26.