The Middlesboro girls basketball team didn’t care if Monday’s game was a glorified scrimmage. They showed up to play defense, and that’s exactly what they did holding Lynn Camp scoreless in the second quarter en route to a 34-17 victory in the Southeastern Kentucky Conference Panorama.

What looked like a competitive game in the first quarter quickly escalated into a blowout. The Lady Wildcats held an 11-8 lead at the end of the first, but Middlesboro went on a 26-6 run over the next three quarters to secure the lopsided victory against the defending 51st District champs.

“I thought our defensive pressure was pretty good. We’re still a little rough around the edges,” said Middlesboro coach Ron Edwards. “We’re not really big, so we have to block out. I thought we did a pretty good job on the blocking out.

“Offensively, we still have a long way to go. Overall, I’m tickled to death. I think we will play eight, nine, maybe 10 people this year.”

The Lady Jackets were paced by Hannah Warren and Baylee Woody. The two tallied six points apiece with Warren scoring her baskets off two 3-pointers. Tenley Jackson finished the game with five points.

Mollie White led Lynn Camp on the night finishing with a team-high six points. Jayda Rogers ended the game with four points.

The Lady Wildcats held a 5-4 lead with under four minutes remaining in the first after a basket by White. A Grace Moles layup returned the lead to Middlesboro temporarily before Lynn Camp went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-6 lead.

A layup by Jackson with 24.5 seconds remaining in the first narrowed the deficit to 11-8 heading into the second quarter.

The Lady Jackets found their stride in the second period scoring 12 points while keeping Lynn Camp off the scoreboard. Warren scored six points in the quarter off back-to-back 3-pointers.

Jamayha Poe, Malorie Carter and Grace Temple also scored in the period to give Middlesboro a 20-11 lead heading into halftime.

The Lady Jacket defense went back to work in the third holding Lynn Camp to four points. Middlesboro got off to a 7-0 run to open the half. A layup by Woody increased the lead to 22-11. A free throw by Carter and another layup by Woody ballooned the lead to 25-11 with just over 2:45 remaining in the third.

Grace Gent capped the run with a jumper to give Middlesboro a 27-11 lead. The Lady Wildcats ended their scoring drought with layups from White and Maci Miracle that narrowed the deficit to 27-15.

Amber Mullins ended the quarter with a jumper to give the Lady Jackets a 29-15 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Middlesboro bench outscored the Lynn Camp bench 5-2 in the fourth to secure the 17-point victory.

Up Next

Middlesboro opens their season at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 when the team travels to Knox Central.

Lynn Camp kicks off the season with a Dec. 1 match-up against Middlesboro.

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Middlesboro (34): Hannah Warren 6, Baylee Woody 6, Jamayha Poe 4, Malorie Carter 3, Grace Moles 2, JJ Brown 2, Lakin Burke 2, Tenley Jackson 5, Grace Temple 2.

Lynn Camp (17): Maci Miracle 2, Mollie White 6, Jada Rogers 4, Hayley Walkin 3, Brylynn Smith 2.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN