Hutchins, Henderson key in Blue Ridge win over Greer

Blue Ridge and Greer battled to the final seconds, but eventually, the Lady Tigers came out on top and continued their five-game winning streak.

In a game that went back and forth until the final buzzer, the Blue Ridge Lady Tigers (5-1) came into Greer (2-2) and outlasted the Lady Jackets 55-50 on Friday night.

The Lady Tigers came into a tough away environment and pulled out a tight win.

“We knew this place was going to be loud,” said Blue Ridge head coach Alex Smith. “It’s an emotional game. It’s a rivalry. But we came here to take care of business.”

Zikira Henderson accounted for nearly half of Blue Ridge’s scoring herself, putting up 24 in the victory.

“I can’t say enough about Zikira. She brings it every single day,” said Smith. “She stays poised. She hits free throws when she’s asked to. When her number is called, she’s ready. She hits big shots when she has to.”

“This one feels great. We love to come and win over here [at Greer],” said Henderson after the game. “We know a lot of the girls on the other team, too. So we aren’t really beefing or anything, but it’s more of like a friendly beef. No bad blood.”

Henderson took over in the second and third quarter, scoring 18 of her 24 points in those two frames.

“Even when I’m not shooting it well, my teammates are always trusting in me,” said Henderson. “They cheer me on and tell me to keep going, even when I make a mistake. Like when I airballed a three-pointer at the beginning of the game, they told me to keep going and keep shooting.”

Senior Alla Hutchins also stepped up for the Lady Tigers, coming up with 11 points and 16 rebounds — her first double-double of the season. Hutchins made several clutch buckets down the stretch to seal the win.

The Lady Tigers and Lady Jackets will run it back on Friday evening, this time with Blue Ridge hosting. That game is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m.

THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
BR 11 16 17 11 - 55
Greer 15 13 9 13 - 50