ONEIDA – It was a topsy turvy night in Oneida, but after lead changes, heroic shots, and big defensive stops the North Greene girls basketball team is headed back to the Class 1A State Tournament for the seventh straight year.
It took two overtime periods and both squads left everything they had on the floor, but the Lady Huskies eventually captured a 76-71 win over the Lady Indians that had the folks in Baileyton celebrating late into the night.
“This is one of the best ones I’ve been a part of,” North Greene coach James Buchanan said. “It was both teams throwing haymakers. I thought we had absolute total control, until we lost all control. Golly, I don’t even know how to explain how we got here. The fight my kids showed was unbelievable. Double overtime to go to state, you have to be kidding me.”
Class 1A State Sectional contest started with North Greene in complete control, and at halftime it looked like it might be a runaway. But in the second half Oneida got red hot from beyond the arc and completely shifted the momentum.
Despite everything turning against them in a raucous road environment the Lady Huskies dug deep in the final minutes. They found the clutch shots they needed on offense and they created just enough stops on defense to leave Scott County smiling ear to ear.
“I feel very fortunate, and very blessed. What a great group of kids,” Buchanan said. “But we’re not going to get all sentimental yet. Hopefully we have three more games to play. I don’t care who we are playing, this group plays so hard that you feel like you have a chance even if it’s the Globe Trotters.”
The Class 1A State Tournament will begin on Thursday in Murfreesboro at the Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU. North Greene will take on Middleton in the opening round at 5:30 PM central time.
“We talked in devotion about how the Bible says a three-fold cord is not easily broken,” Buchanan said. “If they pull together, depend on each other, pick each other up and encourage one another we can do anything. We’re going to get on a bus next week, and who knows, we may do something real crazy.”
North Greene went into Saturday’s fourth quarter leading 36-25, but the Lady Indians were not going to go down easy on their home floor. Inside the first minute of the final frame Kamryn Stiltner and Kendall Duncan each hit from beyond the arc to close the gap to 37-31.
By the midway point of the fourth quarter Maddie Pike knocked down a triple from the left wing and North Greene’s lead was down to 44-41.
Oneida, who struggled to land anything in the first half, poured in 10 three-pointers in the second half and overtime.
The only thing holding off Oneida was Tralyn Southerland’s power in the paint for the Lady Huskies, and she put in seven points in the same stretch. Southerland scored a game-high 29 points on Saturday with 18 of those points coming in the second half and overtime.
“Tralyn had a phenomenal game. They couldn’t stop her inside,” Buchanan said.
With 28 seconds left in regulation Elli West got inside for Oneida to even things at 50-50.
North Greene called a timeout with 13 seconds left and out of the stoppage Eva Leonard came up big for the Lady Huskies when she drove the lane and laid one off the glass to put North Greene in front.
Oneida called a timeout with 6.3 seconds, and on the restart West drove the length of the floor. At the last second dished to Duncan in the corner. The potential game-winning shot was off the mark, but a foul was called with 0.7 seconds on the clock and Duncan made two of three free tosses to force overtime tied 52-52.
In the extra period North Greene got in front 58-52, but Oneida again fought back.
With 15 seconds left Stilner’s runner clanged off the iron but as the Lady Huskies moved up the floor looking to run out the clock West stole possession back for Oneida. She landed a runner with nine seconds left, and got a free throw to put the Lady Indians in front 63-61.
North Greene’s Ella Head was not ready for her Lady Husky career to be over. She maneuvered around the defense and just before the horn she got a jump shot from the top of the key to go in, tying the game at 63-63.
Head scored 14 points on Saturday, and 11 of them came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We just had to keep our heads on straight, stay calm and not let the crowd affect us,” Head said. “On that last shot I had the ball and heard everyone yell shoot it. I wasn’t even looking at the goal, I was just praying to Jesus that it would go in. It felt great, maybe the best feeling of my career.”
With 2:25 left in the second overtime North Greene took the lead for good when Leonard landed a triple from the right wing that made it 69-68.
Leonard went on to make three of four free throws to keep her side in front before North Greene secured its 76-71 win.
While the contest finished as a nail biter it started with total domination by the Lady Huskies. North Greene scored the first 15 points, and used smothering defense led by Josie Graham’s long arms at the top of the zone to close the opening period with a 17-1 lead.
Graham scored six points inside for North Greene in the opening run while Head and Leonard each hit from deep.
“I think it was real important to start like that, especially on the road. You can fall behind early on the road in a game like this and it can bury you. But there is the Bible verse that says if you humble yourself, you’ll be exalted, and if you exalt yourself, you’ll be humbled. We’ll I was getting really confident that I had made all of the right calls. Then all of a sudden we’re in overtime,” Buchanan said.
North Greene’s scoring slowed in the second quarter but the defense stayed in control. The Lady Huskies took their biggest lead at 27-6 when Head delivered a pass to Southerland on the block.
In the final 15 seconds Oneida got two free throws from Larissa Jones and a banked three from Stiltner to close the gap to 27-11 at halftime.
In the third quarter the Lady Indians three-point barrage began with West landing three deep shots in the period.
At the same time North Greene could not get much going on offense, but five points from Southerland and four free throws from Cadie McDevitt kept the Lady Huskies in front.
West led Oneida with 23 points on Saturday, Duncan had 17 and Stiltner put in 10 points.
Southerland led all scorers with 29 points, Head had 14, Leonard 10, Graham eight and McDevitt eight.
