By Jesse Deal, for the SNAP

Facing an 18-point halftime deficit, the Gray Stone Day women’s basketball squad rallied back strong, only to fall short in overtime to North Moore on Friday.
The Mustangs (4-1, 1-0) picked up their first conference win of the season in their 65-61 home victory, while the Knights (3-2, 1-1) suffered their first conference loss of the year.
“We just turned it up a notch in the second half and made it a great game,” Gray Stone Day head coach Robert Stack said. “We talked in the locker room about what their character is going to be, win or lose — they showed a lot of character. We tip our hat to North Moore and live to fight another day.”
The game’s final outcome may well have came down to the team’s performances at the foul line. The Knights were only eight-for-25 from the stripe, while the Mustangs were 18-for-32; Gray Stone missed six attempts in overtime.
Junior Knight Danielle Werts was a huge factor in the second half with four 3-pointers. The guard had a team-high six points in overtime to add to her total of 25, and her play in the third boosted a Knight team that struggled early in the game.
Junior Seccora Medley picked up 13 points for Gray Stone while senior guard Lillie Austin had 12. Sophomore Jenna Robinson came off the bench to add six for her team.
For the Mustangs, the senior tandem of Bonnie Lambert (23 points) and Nadia Brower (20 points) was too much for Gray Stone’s defense to overcome. Fellow senior Alexus McCrimmon notched a team-high seven points in overtime, while Lambert hit the go-ahead shot with a little over a minute left to play.
The Knights will look to rebound when they take on West Montgomery (0-2, 0-1) at home Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Warriors are coming off a tough road loss at South Stanly.

NM 11 21 10  9  14   65
GS    7  7  20 17 10   61

NM – Bonnie Lambert 23, Nadia Brower 20, Alexus McCrimmon 11, Dunn 5, Miller 4, Miller 2.
GS – Danielle Werts 25, Seccora Medley 13, Lillie Austin 12, Robinson 6, King 3, Medley 2.

Jesse Deal is a freelance contributor for The Stanly News & Press.