Region AA Girls Semi-Finals Elizabethton 61 South Greene 51 Lady Cyclones stamp ticket to Region 1-AA final, sectional appearance
Published 12:11 am Wednesday, March 4, 2020
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Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Kaitlin Bailey soars to the rim for two points for Elizabethton.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Lady Cyclone head coach Lucas Andrews draws up a play during a timeout in Monday's semifinal contest against South Greene.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Kaitlin Bailey is surrounded by a pair of South Greene defenders in Monday's contest at Grainger County High School.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Morgan Headrick pulls up for a jump shot over a South Greene defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Kelsie Winters puts up a one-handed jumper just inside the foul line for the Lady Cyclones.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Torrie Roberts pulls up for a trey from the corner for Elizabethton.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Morgan Headrick splits through the South Greene defense for an easy jump shot.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Lady Cyclone guard Lina Lyon slides past a Lady Rebel defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert
Kaylen Shell is sandwiched between a pair of Lady Rebels as she goes up for a shot.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Elizabethton Lady Cyclones season didn’t start out on a high note with illness and injuries but the last several games the Lady Cyclones have been bringing the house down with their exceptional play.
On Monday night in the first game of the Region 1-AA semifinals being played at Grainger County High School, the Lady Cyclones led at every stop on their way to a big 61-51 victory over a traditional rich state appearance team in the South Greene Lady Rebels.
The win gave the Lady Cyclones a spot opposite the host Grainger County Lady Grizzlies for the Region 1-AA championship tonight at 7 pm with the winner getting a game at home against the loser of the Carter and Gatlinburg-Pittman game while the loser will travel to the Region 2-AA winner.
Elizabethton lead 21-10 at the end of the first period and 33-25 at the end of the first half.
Morgan Headrick and Lina Lyon led the early surge for the Lady Cyclones as both dropped in seven points apiece in the first half to gain the upper hand early.
Renna Lane and Kaylen Shell also played a big role with each totaling five points in the first 16 minutes of play.
Kiley Collins and Addison Williams helped to keep the Lady Rebels close in the half by scoring seven and six points respectively.
Things got a little interesting in the third period as South Greene managed to battle back and take a slim lead at one stage before Elizabethton regrouped to close out the period to lead 49-42 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
With pure grit and determination, nothing was going to keep the Lady Cyclones from reaching the finals as Elizabethton managed to keep South Greene at bay in the final quarter outscoring the Lady Rebels 12-9 to advance to the championship tilt.
Lyon led the Lady Cyclones with a team-high 13 points in the contest while senior Kaitlin Bailey kicked her game into high gear in the second half to score 12.
Headrick wrapped up her night with 11 points. Torrie Roberts hit a pair of treys and a field goal to contribute eight points.
Shell finished with seven points with Lane tallying five points. Kelsie Winters dropped in three to close out the scoring log.
Collins finished with a game-high 18 points for South Greene. Williams finished with 12 points for the Lady Rebels and Jayden Merriweather reached double figures with 10 points.
In the nightcap, the Lady Grizzlies defeated Sullivan Central 55-43 to advance opposite the Lady Cyclones in the championship game.
