By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SPRING GARDEN – Usually when visiting teams get off to a cold start shooting the basketball at Dale Welsh Gymnasium in Spring Garden, it’s going to be a long night.

That’s exactly what happened to the Class 2A, No. 4 Cedar Bluff Lady Tigers on Thursday night. They were faced with an 8-0 deficit in the first quarter, but Cedar Bluff coach Deidra Cox told her team to keep shooting.

The shots finally began to fall, thanks in large part to the Lady Tigers’ transition game. Cedar Bluff swiped 17 steals and rallied from its early deficit for a 44-22 victory.

“That was one thing I challenged the girls to do before the game, but definitely after (Spring Garden) Coach Rat (Ricky Austin) called that first timeout,” Cox said. “I told them we were going to have to step it up on the defensive end so that our offense could get going, and they started really getting after it.

“They never gave up. They kept driving. They kept going after it. Little by little we chipped away.”

Cox praised the defensive effort of eighth grade guard Vana Martin in particular.

“Vana may not have had a lot on the stat line, but she played a great game defensively. She held her own,” Cox said. “The rest of them kind of picked up from there. They followed her lead and really pressured the ball. We got in the passing lanes, something we’ve been talking about. We were finally able to do some things.”

Cedar Bluff (12-2) tied the game at 12 with 2:48 remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer by senior guard Ciana Smith. The Lady Tigers took their first lead on a Smith free throw at 13-12 at the 2:27 mark and held on for a 15-14 lead at halftime.

The momentum Cedar Bluff built in the second quarter carried over to the third, as the Lady Tigers built a 10-point cushion at 32-22 heading into the fourth quarter.

Cedar Bluff’s defense then held the Class 1A, No. 10 Lady Panthers (3-3) scoreless in the fourth to take a rare win in the Garden.

Senior point guard Kylie Vadon led the Lady Tigers with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals, two assists, and a block. Smith tossed in 16 points, including three treys. She also had 11 rebounds, and two steals. Scarlett Brown finished with five points, seven steals, and five rebounds.

“Kylie’s shot wasn’t falling from the get-go, but like any good shooter, she stuck with it, and then Ciana took several good shots tonight,” Cox said. “Her shot selection was very good. I know some of them were not falling like she wanted them to, but they were still good shots. They were shots we want her taking. Both of them held their own and did their part offensively like we’ve got to have game in and game out.”

Maya Jennings led the Lady Panthers with nine points on three 3-pointers. Lacie Jo McMurray finished with six points.