Addison West scores 1,000th point as Lynchburg-Clay defeats West Union

WEST UNION — Becoming the third Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustang senior this season to achieve the feat, Addison West scored her 1,000th career point in Thursday night at West Union, as LCHS won over the hosts, 64-25. 

Going into the Southern Hills Athletic Conference game, West needed just six points to achieve the milestone feat, joining teammates Jade Massey and Macy Etienne, as they were the other two seniors to score their 1,000th point this season for LCHS. 

“It was just unbelievable,” West told The Highland County Press after the game. “Honestly, I wasn't even sure at the beginning of this year if I’d get it, but I managed to somehow.”

Etienne scored first for the Lady Mustangs with a two-point basket with the assist from Massey, but next was a layup by West. Around a minute later, West scored her fourth point of the game with points in the paint for a 4-0 LCHS lead with 6:40 left in the first quarter. 

After two points by West Union, Massey made two free throws at the 4:58 mark, giving LCHS an early 8-2 lead. 

Then came the moment many were waiting for, that being West’s 1,000th point scored, as she drained a 3-pointer for the big moment, putting LCHS ahead 11-2 with 4:01 on the clock. 

West led LCHS with 17 points, totaling seven two-point baskets and one 3-pointer. 

“Addie’s been in our program for four years,” Lynchburg-Clay head coach Whitney Lewis said. “This is a milestone that I'm super happy for her. She's worked hard, she's earned it, and I'm glad to see her get recognized for all her effort and hard work.”

After a celebration of that achievement, LCHS added to their lead with a put-back basket by Massey, and West sank a jumper for a 15-2 Lady Mustang lead with 2:32 left in the quarter. 

WUHS ended the quarter with two made free throws, putting the first-quarter score at 17-4 when the frame ended.

LCHS held the Lady Dragons to eight points in the second frame, while scoring 19 points of their own, leading 36-12 at halftime.

West Union opened the second with four points, but from there the Lady Mustangs scored the next six points with a layup by Allie Waits — who totaled eight points for LCHS — a put-back basket by Joslyn Rockey and a jumper from West for a 23-8 lead. Rockey totaled six points overall in the game. 

After the Lady Dragons scored two more points, it was a bucket by Waits that put LCHS ahead by 15 points at 25-10. 

Following a timeout, West Union scored their final basket of the quarter with 3:08 left in the second. 

From the 2:22 point of the second until the halftime buzzer sounded, it was an 11-0 run for the Lady Mustangs that started with a basket by Massey (with the assist by West), a layup from Etienne, a 3-pointer by Massey, a put-back basket off a rebound by Barry, and another basket in the paint by Barry, giving the Lady Mustangs the 36-12 lead. 

Etienne totaled 16 points in the win, while Massey totaled nine points, and Barry scored five total points. 

“West Union had a great crowd here tonight,” Lewis said. “They did this for a great cause, raising some money for one of their students [a fundraiser for Casen Gullett, a 5-year-old battling cancer]. The atmosphere here was great. It was incredible to play in front of the crowd that they had. 

“I told the kids that we had to come up and ready to play because [West Union] had kind of everything as far as momentum in their favor. I told them I was proud of them because we stepped on the floor ready to play the game with intensity, energy, effort. You name it, I think that we had on that side of it, so I’m proud of him for that, and then we just kind of kept going.”

A 20-point third quarter saw the LCHS lead increase to overall lead to 38 points with two 3-pointers by Etienne, four points from Waits, four points scored by West, four points by Rockey and two points added by Massey. 

In the fourth quarter — following the third frame at 20-6 — LCHS added eight final points with baskets by Etienne, Avery Shope (a basket and free throw) and West, plus a free throw made by Barry. 

The fourth frame also saw West Union score seven points in the quarter. 

In all for the Mustangs, they totaled 24 two-point baskets, four 3-pointers, and they went 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. 

West Union was led in scoring by Madison Stout with seven points. 

Emmy Stapleton followed with five points, and with three points each were Violet Randolph, Ashlah Staten and Olivia Lewis. Scoring two points each for WUHS were Shelbi Weakley and Annabelle McIntosh.

The win improves Lynchburg-Clay to 14-5 overall, and they have a SHAC record of 10-2. 

West Union falls to 1-11 in SHAC play and 5-13 overall.

LCHS is scheduled to play again on Monday, Feb. 5 on the road at Fayetteville with a 7:30 p.m. start in SHAC play.

BOX SCORE

LCHS    17 19 20 08 — 64
WUHS    04 08 06 07 — 25

LYNCHBURG-CLAY (64) — M.Etienne 5 (2) 0-0 16, A.Shope 1 (0) 1-1 3, A.Waits 4 (0) 0-0 8, A.West 7 (1) 0-0 17, J.Massey 2 (1) 2-2 9, J.Rockey 3 (0) 0-0 6, E.Barry 2 (0) 1-2 5. TOTALS: 24 (4) 4-5 64. 

WEST UNION (25) — V.Randolph 0 (1) 0-0 3, B.Stapleton 1 (1) 0-0 5, A.Staten 0 (0) 3-4 3, M.Stout 3 (0) 1-2 7, O.Lewis 0 (1) 0-2 3, S.Weakley 1 (0) 0-0 2, A.McIntosh 1 (0) 0-2 2. TOTALS: 6 (3) 4-10 25.