Van Buren gutted out a 55-52 win over Pulaski Academy on the second and final night of the Clarksville Lady Panthers Tip-Off Classic at Panther Arena.
Van Buren (1-0) took its first lead at 25-21 to close the first half with a 7-0 run, and the game was tight the rest of the way.
After Van Buren still held at 41-40 lead after three quarters, Maddie Carter scored for Pulaski Academy (0-1) to open the fourth quarter.
Van Buren went up, 46-43, on a three-pointer by Hope Oden before Pulaski Academy tied it at 46-46 behind free throws by Randi Stewart and Greenlee Elmore.
Van Buren took the lead for good with a free throw by Jayden Warden, and consecutive baskets by Oden and A.J. McDonald with 2:42 left.
With Pulaski Academy within, 52-50, on a basket by Stewart, Oden answered with a jumper inside with 1:10 left for Van Buren.
"It was a crazy game," Van Buren Coach Kendall Ruff said. "We know what they did last year, with very talented guards that are going to play at the next level. We told our guards they're going to have a challenge on their hands. Our defensive game plan was awesome."
Stewart scored again with 57 seconds left but Warden hit a single free throw with 5.7 seconds left for a 55-52 lead, and Pulaski Academy missed a three-pointer.
"We told them in a timeout that the toughest team is going to win," Ruff said. "We gave up some weak-side rebounds in the third and fourth quarters, but we got some big rebounds off their misses. That's why we won the game."
Oden finished with 13 points and earned the game's Most Valuable Player award.
"I'm very excited," Oden said. "We did really good, defensively. We scouted them really well so we knew what we were prepared for. We executed really well. Everybody stepped up. They took some big roles t... Click here to read full article
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