Saturday’s game was less than two minutes old when the worst possible thing happened for the Red Bank Lady Lions.
Macy Welch hit her first two shots.
The Rhea County junior, the No. 3 scorer this season for one of Tennessee’s top prep teams, then stayed hot with a career-high 28 points as the Lady Eagles earned an 81-68 win in the marquee girls’ matchup in the Chatt-Town Classic at Chattanooga State.
“I made two in a row, and when I usually make a few in a row I know it’s going to be a decent day,” joked Welch, who had six of Rhea’s 12 3-point baskets.
Despite the hot shooting, which included 22 points from Mallory Hampton, 18 from Haley Cameron and 12 from Maddie Taylor, the game was far from easy for Rhea (11-1). Red Bank (11-3) used its superior size inside and the lane-slashing talents of Arteya Scott to hang close.