Cherokee 64, Chuckey-Doak 36
Cherokee handed Chuckey-Doak another defeat this season with a 64-36 beating bright and early on Tuesday morning.
The Lady Chiefs played without two starters in Kenady Deal and Addie Lawson, but it was no problem for them. The offensive explosion in the second quarter saw them score 29 points and stretch their small 6-point lead into a 21-point advantage at the half. Cherokee won every quarter on their way to victory.
Without both Deal and Lawson, Rylee Sivert led Cherokee in every major statistical category. The freshman led them with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Chuckey-Doak’s leading scorer was Carlene Bishop with 16 points.
Cherokee finished 1-2 in the Classic. Chuckey-Doak finished 0-3.
Morristown West 54, North Hardin, KY 41
Morristown West finished strong and carried out a 54-41 win against North Hardin.
The first half was very close with Morristown West only holding a 3-point lead at the break. The Lady Trojans played their best ball in the second half and stretched their lead out slowly and surely until the finish. West managed to win every quarter in a quietly decisive win. Morristown West shot 48% from the field in the win.
Jhaniya Mitchell finished with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double for Morristown West. Mitchell collected 5 blocks and 3 steals also and shot an efficient 8-for-11. Asia Charles was North Hardin’s leading scorer with 13.
Morristown West will play Gaffney, SC on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. North Hardin wraps up this year’s Classic 0-3.
Gaffney, SC 67, JL Mann, SC 57
Gaffney knocked off fellow South Carolina counterpart JL Mann 67-57 to begin the afternoon slate.
The first quarter was won by Gaffney by an 11-point margin and it proved to be the difference maker. Gaffney led by 13 at the half and, even though JL Mann scored 40 of their 57 in the second half, they were able to keep pace and come out victorious. It helped that Gaffney shot 54% from the field and 48% (11-for-23) from three.
Shiriah Harris led Gaffney with a team-high 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Tianah Hopper delivered a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double. Gaffney had four players in double figures. JL Mann’s Imari Richardson was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points and pulled down 8 rebounds.
Gaffney will play Morristown West on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. JL Mann wraps up the Classic 0-3.
Spring Valley, WV 62, Coalfield 53
Spring Valley seemed down and out trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter before ending on a 24-4 run to beat Coalfield.
The fourth quarter decided everything in this one. Coalfield won every quarter and led 47-35 after three. Spring Valley tightened down on defense and held Coalfield to only four in the final seven minutes and outscored them 27-6 to complete their comeback win.
Sophi Hutchinson led Spring Valley with 21 points and was everywhere on defense and claimed a tournament-high 11 steals. Lillyclaire Lowe was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points for Coalfield. Lowe was one rebound away from a double-double with 9. Lily Wright did get a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Spring Valley will play Cocke County at 12:30 PM on Wednesday. Coalfield finished 2-2 in this year’s Classic.
Cocke County 65, Alcoa 60
Cocke County defeated Alcoa in what could be a preview of a Class 3A State Tournament or Championship matchup.
The Lady Red and Lady Tornadoes gave everybody a show worth watching. Cocke County’s biggest deficit was only five and Alcoa’s biggest deficit was only seven in a game that saw neither team gain a double-digit lead. The score was tied 55-55 with three minutes left until a 6-0 Cocke County run made the biggest difference. Lady Red used that important two-minute period to their advantage and came out on top in the battle of 3A heavyweights.
Blakelyn Clevenger led Cocke County with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Alcoa’s Harper Stinnett led all scorers with 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting and shot 5-for-6 from three.
Cocke County will play Spring Valley at 12:30 PM on Wednesday. Alcoa finished the Classic 2-2.
Greeneville 80, Albertville, AL 72
The hometown Lady Greene Devils excited everyone and pulled off the biggest comeback of the Classic and erased an 18-point deficit to send Albertville back to Alabama with an 80-72 loss.
Senior Brylee Tullock led a miraculous comeback with maybe the best performance of the Classic with a 35-point triple-double. Tullock scored 35, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished 10 assists. The Lady Devils only trailed by two at the half, but were outscored 17-6 in the third quarter. Greeneville scored a mind-blowing 40 points in the fourth and were nearly perfect down the stretch to complete the comeback.
Tullock had three separate game highs with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Tullock was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. Maria Lyde helped in the comeback effort scoring 21 points. Lani Smallwood scored a team-high 33 points for Albertville. Mylie Butler had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals.
Greeneville will play Farmington, AR at 2:00 PM on Wednesday. Albertville finished 1-2 this year.
Farmington, AR 67, Webb 64
Greeneville began the string of exciting games as Farmington and Webb continued the trend with a game that came down to the wire. Farmington erased a 4th-quarter deficit to knock off Webb and send them home with two-straight losses.
Sophomore phenom Easton McCollough had one of the greatest scoring performances in Classic history with a 43-point game. The mark tied for the third highest in a single game. McCollough was 14-for-27 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. McCollough has 105 points through three games (35 PPG) and is only 35 away from breaking the Ladies’ Classic record for most points scored in a single tournament. The 105 points already puts her at 11th on the list.
Farmington were down by 16 points late in the third and outscored Webb 26-7 to finish the game. A 7-0 run in the final two minutes sealed the deal. McCollough’s and-one with less than 20 seconds remaining was the clinching bucket.
McCollough of course led everybody in scoring with 43 points. Webb had a balanced stat sheet with four players in double figures. Avery Green led with 15 points.
Farmington will play Greeneville at 2:00 PM on Wednesday. Webb finished 1-2 in the Classic.
Bearden 66, Grace Christian 63 (2OT)
If the two games prior weren’t exciting enough, Bearden and Grace Christian had you covered. It took 30 games before reaching the first overtime game of the Classic and it took two overtimes to decide this one. Bearden survived to advance to Wednesday’s Championship with a 66-63 win.
Natalya Hodge followed McCollough’s historic scoring game with one of her own. Hodge scored 39 points and tied for the fifth highest scoring game in Classic history. Hodge also stole 9 passes to tie the most steals in a single game in Classic history. Her 38 shot attempts are good for second most in a single game.
Hodge has 103 points through three games (34.3 PPG) and is only 37 away from breaking the Ladies’ Classic record for most points scored in a single tournament. Hodge has 16 steals and is a further ways away from matching the most steals in a single tournament (27), but is close to reaching the top 10.
Bearden led by five early before Grace Christian went on a 12-0 run to take a 7-point lead. The run ended up being a 20-4 run that helped Grace lead by as much as 11 points in the first half. The lead grew to 12 in the third before Bearden started slowly trimming into their deficit. They finally regained the lead halfway through the fourth.
Hodge free throws were the difference in multiple ways. Hodge had a chance to go ahead by one with two free throws trailing by one with 57 seconds left. Hodge went 1-for-2 and tied the game and sent it to overtime after both teams went scoreless on their final possessions. Hodge went 3-for-4 in the final 31 seconds of double overtime to help win.
Hodge led Bearden with 39 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals. Theola Mills had 10 rebounds. Nya Burns and Abby Roberts scored 20+ for the Lady Rams. Nya Burns led with 25 points. Abby Roberts had 23. Myrah Hood had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Bearden moves on to play Upperman in Wednesday’s Championship at 5:00 PM. Grace Christian will play Boone at 3:30 PM in the consolation game.
Upperman 63, Daniel Boone 55
Upperman held Boone’s hot offense in check and frustrated the Lady Blazers on their way to a 63-55 win and advanced to Wednesday’s Championship.
Boone played one of their best games of the season on Monday night. On Tuesday night, Upperman shut that down and made a statement to the whole state of Tennessee and Class 3A in what could be viewed as a potential State Championship or State Tournament game.
Upperman began with a statement in the first quarter and led 15-6 after eight minutes. They still managed to outscore Boone in the second quarter in a high-scoring affair and led by 12 at the half. The lead grew to 19 before Boone went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter to make things interesting. Boone got within three points twice, but couldn’t quite catch up all the way.
Taylor Dolente and Sadie South scored 19 points each to lead Upperman. Both were very efficient. Dolente shot 6-for-8 and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. South was 6-for-8 from the three-point line. Dolente had 9 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Upperman in those categories. Andrea Flores led all scorers with 22 points. Flores also snagged 8 rebounds.
Upperman moves on to play Bearden in Wednesday’s Championship at 5:00 PM. Boone will play Grace Christian at 3:30 PM in the consolation game.
