Lady Rams Roll Past North Lenoir, Moves to 2–0 Behind Mumford’s Spark and Sutton’s Defense

Greene Central Rolls Past North Lenoir, Moves to 2–0 Behind Mumford’s Spark and Sutton’s Defense

LAGRANGE — For the second time in a week, Greene Central found the right gear against North Lenoir — and this time, the Rams powered their way to a 52–36 win, moving to 2–0 while the Hawks slipped to 1–2.

But the final score doesn’t tell the full story of how this one unfolded.

North Lenoir opened the night with confidence, spreading the ball around with four different players scoring in the first quarter, including a momentum-lifting three from junior Myracle Samples. GC, though, managed to hold a slim 10–9 lead after one, and senior guard Azaria Mumford said the Rams were determined not to repeat the sluggish start they had in the season opener.

“We started out slow last game,” Mumford said. “We had to come out at our pace and just go score.”

In the second quarter, she made sure of it.

Mumford exploded for nine of her 15 points in the period, jump-starting a Greene Central surge that overwhelmed the Hawks. The Rams outscored North Lenoir 16–5 in the quarter — and the only player keeping the Hawks afloat was junior wing Ta’Sheena Lynch, who scored all five of their points.

Greene Central’s lead swelled to double digits, and Mumford’s confidence showed why her return to the lineup matters so much.

“I’m a defensive player, but this year I want to contribute more on the offensive end,” she said. “I’m a senior, so I have to be a leader.”

North Lenoir came out of the locker room with fire, refusing to fold. Five different Hawks scored in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 35–24 and briefly slowing the Rams’ momentum. Lynch continued her strong night, finishing with 10 points and hitting 5-of-6 from the stripe, while Samples knocked down two threes on her way to seven points. Seniors Sieanna Robinson and Cassidee Fraser added four apiece.

But Greene Central simply had more depth — and more weapons.

Senior forward An’Nysha Wooten delivered a monster performance with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks, anchoring the paint on both ends. Senior Jaycee Russell added eight points and 11 rebounds, while junior Janiyah Sutton filled the stat sheet with nine points, four rebounds, four assists, and an eye-popping nine steals.

Sutton, who seemed to appear in every passing lane, said her anticipation was locked in all game.

“I got in the passing lanes — I felt good,” Sutton said.

When the Rams needed a stabilizing presence late, juniors Jazmine Davis (8 points) helped steady the offense, and senior center Kharma Schuster made her presence felt with six rebounds and six blocks, providing the rim protection that kept North Lenoir from ever getting within striking distance.

Even with the Hawks clawing to stay close, Greene Central won the fourth quarter 17–12 and sealed the sweep.

As the Rams gathered afterward celebrating their 2–0 start, Sutton summed up the team’s mindset going forward:

“We did good as a team today. We fixed what we didn’t do last game. We were prepared this game.”

With the victory, Greene Central (2–0) turns its attention to North Pitt on Friday at home, while North Lenoir (1–2) hits the road to face the Panthers as well on December 10.