ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Last winter, the Lady Braves put the state of North Carolina on notice. Now, the defending 1A champs are back for even more.

With second-leading scorer Joscelyn Stamper on the bench three minutes in with foul trouble and leading-scorer Whitney Rogers not playing, Cherokee still defeated reigning 3A west regional runner-up A.C. Reynolds handily, 83-52.

Madison Rogers was the next girl up, and she answered the bell. 13 of her game-high 22 came in the opening period. Dvdaya Swimmer, and eventually Stamper, joined in on the fun to hold off an 18-4 Rockets run and cruise to victory.

The Lady Braves patented defensive pressure helped give Rogers nine of her team’s first dozen points. Lilly Lossiah added four, and in the final seconds of a 30-13 first quarter, Marlee Hicks dialed up her only two threes of the night.

A.C. Reynolds punched back to start the second. Adalyn Wilkinson and Addi Long combined for 11 points amid the Rockets’ 18-4 run. Peyton Harvey dropped in a pull-up jumper to slash Cherokee’s lead to as little as 34-31 with two minutes left to play.

The final 11 points of the second quarter went to the Braves who got 7 of Swimmer’s 14 in the frame.

A 45-31 lead at the break inflated to 70-44 after three. Stamper made the most of her time on the floor, owning the paint for 16 second-half points. Her two fouls in the opening minutes of the first would be her only for the game.

Wednesday’s contest was one of Cherokee’s final non-conference tune-ups before the postseason.

Knowing that a state title grows the target on their back, the Lady Braves have loaded up on unique experiences this season. Their only losses have come to the No. 3 ranked team in the nation according to MaxPreps, Hebron Christian, and MaxPreps’ No. 1 ranked non-scholastic program in North Carolina, Winston-Salem Christian.

BOX SCORE:
ᏣᎳᎩ: 30-15-25-13 83
ACR: 13-18-14-8 52

SCORING:
ᏣᎳᎩ: Rogers 22, Stamper 16, Swimmer 14, L. Lossiah 9, Moore 7, Fourkiller-Raby 7, Hicks 6, T. Lossiah 2
ACR: Ball 14, Wilkinson 12, Long 10, Harvey 10, Green 3, Bopp 2

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