On a night that was highlighted by past players and coaches, the Lady Cyclones did not fail to impress in their home conference opener against Unicoi County.

Thursday marked a 50th anniversary celebration of Lady Cyclone basketball, and the night was made sweeter for alumni when Elizabethton shut down the Lady Blue Devils by a final of 44-34.

It was a back and forth contest from the start, as neither squad was able to pull away until late in the period, with the Lady Cyclones cementing a 16-13 advantage thanks to a couple long range shots from Jasy Shell and Rylee May.

The second quarter took a defensive turn, with only 10 total points being scored. But at the break, Elizabethton maintained their lead, up 21-18.

Things picked up in the second half just as they had left off in the first, with each team stepping up defensively and forcing the other to take tough shots. Heading into the final eight minutes of play, the Lady Cyclones head by a score of 31-26.

Elizabethton was looking to close things out during the fourth, and they would end up doing just that with a surge on the offensive end as well as lockdown defense. In the end, the Lady Cyclones were able to shut down any comeback attempt, defeating Unicoi County, 44-34

In the win, both Kayelyn Nave and Rylee May led Elizabethton in the scoring department with 9 points a piece. Jamira Smalls added 7 to the total, while Shell and Adrian Heading contributed 6 points a piece.

The Lady Cyclones are back in action on Saturday, traveling to Johnson City to take on the Science Hill Hilltoppers. JV play begins at 2:30 PM, and Varsity starts at 5 PM.

The next home contest for the Lady Cyclones will be next Tuesday, January 28th against Sullivan East for Homecoming. Girls JV will start at 4 PM and Varsity tips off at 6:30 PM.