Closing the Deal: Lady Generals Ride Big 4th Quarter to Win No. 10

Being "in the zone" is defined as achieving an unheard of level of performance in a state of total concentration and bodily coordination. For three quarters, Lily Wilmoth was steady, picking pockets and converting those steals into 10 points. In the fourth quarter, Wilmoth was in the zone, scoring 11 of her game- and season-high 21 points punctuated by a back-breaking three-pointer to put the game out of reach. While Wilmoth did the heavy lifting on offense, Ellie Slagle spent 22 of her nearly 24 game minutes locking down MJCA's all conference standout Amelia Lyons. Slagle and Wilmoth were backed up by an all-around team effort on defense, as the Lady Generals relentlessly harassed the visitors up and down the court in a physical game noteworthy for its lack of whistles. The Lady Generals took a 7-6 first quarter lead and then shut out the visitors for 5:55 of the second until a last second three-pointer cut the home team's halftime lead to 13-9. Harding extended its lead to 24-18 after three before Wilmoth and her teammates exploded for 19 points in the decisive fourth quarter. Backing up Wilmoth's 21 were Ella Craig, who found her groove on the jumper from the free throw line to the tune of 8 points, and Ellie Frist, who converted two press-beating deep balls for 4 points in the decisive fourth quarter. Ellie Slagle and Kendall Burch each scored 3 points, while Olivia Craig and Lydia Beachum added 2 points each to round out the scoring. Harding (10-3, 10-1) next travels to Hendersonville Christian Academy on Tuesday for a 6:15 tip.