MCKENZIE, Tenn. –It was a night to remember for the No. 8 Bethel Lady Wildcats Thursday night in Crisp Arena. The largest crowd of the season saw the Lady Cats trail 17-12 early in the second quarter. Bethel rallied in a huge way outscoring the visiting Martin Methodist RedHawks 27-7 the remainder of the quarter to lead 39-24 at the half.
Ashton Hulme came off the bench to score 14 of her 16 points to spark the Cats. Tasia Jones scored 10 and had five assists in the half while Millie Bryant tossed in nine points hitting three three- pointers. The Lady Wildcats would lead by as many as 33 in the second half and coasted to an 80-52 victory. It was Bethel's 13 straight win.
Bryant would lead the Cats will a team high 17 point. Jones finished with 10 and tied her own program mark for assists in a game with 12. Ge Robinson had 11 tallies. Morgan Martin had 11 points, all in the second half. Martin, "The Blonde Bomber" hit three three-pointers. She tied Katie Van Dyke for most three's in a career with 241. Mickey Head had nine points while Jani Crawford had six points. Bethel played the game without their leading scorer, Ty Willis. She sat out the game with an injured ankle and is expected to return for the Blue Mountain game on the 15th.
The Lady Wildcats knocked down 16 three's in the game. Hulme had a team high eight rebounds. The Lady Cats forced Martin Methodist into 18 turnovers. Bethel had a 26-3 advantage in points off turnovers. Lacy Reed scored a game high 19 points for the Hawks.
Bethel moved to 21-4 overall and 10-1 in the SSAC. No. 25 MMC fell to 15-8 and 7-4. Bethel is 120-15 all-time in Crisp Arena and 58-4 versus SSAC opponents in the building. The Lady Cats have a 22-10 advantage in the series and are 13-3 all-time in McKenzie against the Hawks.
The Lady Cats yield just 54.5 points per game which is 5th best in the nation. Lady Wildcats are 15-2 when scoring 65 points or more in a game. Bethel is 14-1 when holding an opponent to 54 points or less.
Coach Chris Nelson is in his 14th season at Bethel and is 309-142. His win total ranks him 16th in active coaches in the country. It was his 100th win in the SSAC.
Coach Nelson commented, "This was a great win over a really good and well coached Martin Methodist squad. Ashton gave us a huge lift in our scoring run in the second quarter. Tasia was simply great passing the ball. They put so much emphasis in stopping Morgan it left Millie open for really good looks and she knocked down some huge baskets for us. Ge gave us as she always does a lot of high energy. I was really proud of how Morgan stayed the course and let the game come to her. We are excited about her three-point record as she tied former great Katie Van Dyke. We look forward to seeing her possibly break that mark next week in Blue Mountain." Nelson added, "Overall, what a great team effort, especially proud of how all stepped up without Ty."
Bethel returns to action at Blue Mountain on February 15 with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. Follow the action on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com. The Countdown to Tip-off begins at 1:30 p.m.
