Chuckey-Doak coach Tanner Earley has seen plenty of games at West Greene High School over the years, but he’s never been happier after a win in Mosheim than he was on Wednesday night.
The Black Knights regrouped in the second half and had everyone on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer as they knocked off the Lady Buffaloes 39-37 in the opening game of the District 1-2A Tournament.
“Kudos to those girls, they stuck with it when things weren’t going our way. We stuck to the game plan when we could have folded. It was a roller coaster of a game,” Earley said. “These girls never quit, they didn’t let their minds tell them they were tired, and they made some huge plays late. It’s unreal to see how much this group has grown this season. Getting this one tonight was pretty special.”
With the win Chuckey-Doak moves on to play South Greene on Saturday at 12 p.m. at West Ridge in the tournament’s semifinals. More importantly the Lady Knights clinched a berth in the Region 1-2A Tournament. With the loss West Greene’s season ends with a 12-15 record.
“We knew coming into this year we lost almost everything from last year, but the goal was to get to the region,” Earley said. “I’m new and we didn’t know how things have come together. It’s been hard and we are learning, but the turnaround these girls have made is unbelievable. We’re playing our best ball at the right time, and all of the credit goes to the girls.”
After a tough second quarter Chuckey-Doak started Wednesday’s second half in a in a 20-12 hole.
Chloe Kirkpatrick was fouled on the first possession of the third period and gave the Lady Black Knights a much needed boost by making three free throws.
Chuckey-Doak took the lead at 22-21 when Kirkpatrick fired in a corner three, and 30 seconds later Jayden Myers landed a triple from right wing for a 25-21 lead.
Just before the buzzer Carlene Bishop stole the ball on the far end of the floor and launched it ahead to Cristen Bishop for a transition layup that put Chuckey-Doak on top 31-25.
West Greene came out of the huddle in the fourth quarter determined to close the gap, and that effort started with Emiliy Justis knocking down a jumper from the elbow.
With 4:43 left to play Joie Shipley grabbed a rebound and started a fast break by pushing the ball ahead to Sarah Justis who gave the Lady Buffaloes the lead at 33-32.
A step-back three by Myers with 3:16 on the clock returned that lead to the Lady Knights at 37-35.
Two free throws by West Greene’s Kahlee Edwards tied things, and then after running 1:10 off the clock Kirkpatrick drove to the hoop and laid one in to give Chuckey-Doak a 39-37 lead.
“We’ve been through adversity all year. We’ve played a lot of good teams all year and it’s been a grind. When we saw adversity tonight we knew we could finish this game, and these girls did it,” Earley said.
West Greene’s chance to answer ended with a double dribble, and then Lady Buffs had to foul three times to get Chuckey-Doak to the charity stripe with 13 seconds left.
After two misses the Lady Buffaloes called a timeout with eight seconds left to set up the last shot. West Greene got Shipley the ball going down hill on the sideline inbound. She bounced off bodies in the paint before losing control, and on a night where 38 fouls were called the referees did not have one more whistle in them.
Wednesday’s win was the first postseason victory for Earley, the Lady Knights’ first-year head coach, and getting it in dramatic fashion on the floor where he spent his prep career made it even more special.
“This means everything to me personally,” Earley said. “I couldn’t think of a better way to continue this chapter. This year has been up and down, but these girls did it tonight. They executed and they deserve every ounce of credit. But this is certainly my favorite win here.”
Wednesday’s first quarter was slow paced with both teams struggling to get shots to fall. With 3:19 left in the frame Chuckey-Doak went in front at 6-5 when Kori Hollifield converted an old-fashioned three-point opportunity.
Carlene Bishop followed by putting back a miss, and Kirkpatrick put the Lady Black Knights in front 11-5 when she nailed a triple from the left wing.
Chuckey-Doak took an 11-7 lead into the second quarter, but West Greene’s Shipley took over on the defensive end and shut down everything in the paint over the next eight minutes.
The Lady Black Knights went 0-for-12 from the field in the period and did not score until there were 43 seconds left in the frame.
It took West Greene a while to get going as well, but with 2:58 left Neveah Fillers banked in a toe-on-the-line two that gave the Lady Buffaloes a 13-11 lead.
In the final minute of the quarter Edwards scored three points the hard way and Emily Justis landed a jumper from the short corner to stretch West Greene’s lead to 20-12.
Kirkpatrick led Chuckey-Doak on Wednesday with 13 points while Myers finished with 10. Shipley scored eight points for West Greene.
In the other District 1-2A quarterfinal contest Unicoi County beat Happy Valley 50-39. The Lady Blue Devils will play Johnson County on Saturday at 1:30 in the semifinals.
