ROGERSVILLE – South Greene gave Cherokee everything it could handle, but came up short in the closing minutes and lost 42-37, settling for a second-place finish at the Big H BBQ Christmas Bash.
“I’m pleased with my girl’s effort. I felt like we outplayed them. I felt like we won the game except on the scoreboard. It was a road game so I always say a team is ten points better at home. So, if you look at that we lost by five, but I really feel like the girls got better as the game went on and they paid great attention to detail in the game plan,” South Greene head coach Stephen Gregg explained.
The Lady Rebels seemed to be in control for most of Saturday’s back-and-forth contest. They held the lead after the second and third quarters, but couldn’t score any field goals down the stretch in the fourth quarter and watched the game slip away.
A huge part of the game was the large free throw disparity between both teams. South Greene only had four free-throw attempts all game while Cherokee shot 23. South Greene was charged with 19 fouls to Cherokee’s 11.
“They had a lot of help tonight though. We shot zero free throws in the first half. Four for the game, they shot 23. That’s the first thing you look at when you lose. They made 18 free throws out of their 42 points,” Gregg pointed out.
Senior Ari Hoese was on fire from beyond the arc and drained five three-pointers and finished with 19 points.
“It was really important because Kortnei got her second foul with a little over two minutes to go in the first quarter and had to sit. I just told Ari you’ve got to go look to score more and you’ve got to look to do more and she did. She had the courage to take the big shots and she was making them,” Gregg explained.
Cherokee’s Addie Lawson scored a game-high 21 points and took home Tournament MVP honors also.
Lawson began Saturday’s action with a layup and put Cherokee ahead first.
South Greene soon took control and seniors Kortnei Bailey and Paisley Brobeck banked in layups. Kenady Deal was left too open around the perimeter and hit a pair of triples to give the Lady Chiefs the lead again. Cherokee led 10-6 after the first.
The Lady Rebels got hot in the second quarter and made four three-point field goals. Hoese made three of her five triples in the quarter and Neveah Davis added one. South Greene outscored Cherokee 12-7 in the second and went into halftime with an 18-17 lead.
The second half started with Hoese sinking another long bucket, but it was determined to be a two-pointer this time. Cherokee went on a small 8-4 run to regain the lead, but South Greene scored four in-a-row to take it back. Bailey’s layup ended the quarter with the Lady Rebels leading 26-25.
Hoese extended the run to seven in-a-row with another three-point bomb to start the fourth. Lawson responded with a three next. Bailey made a layup, but Deal tied it 31-31 with a three.
Cherokee took the lead back briefly before South Greene went ahead with Hoese’s final three of the night.
Lawson cut through the lane and finished with a layup and took the lead back for good. The layup gave Cherokee a 35-34 advantage. South Greene could not get any shots to fall in the final two minutes and were forced to foul when Cherokee had possession. The Lady Chiefs went 6-for-6 in their final six attempts and iced the game.
Cherokee ended this year’s Big H BBQ Christmas Bash by taking home the hardware on their home court and defeated South Greene 42-37.
“You can’t be overexcited or elated for a loss, but this is getting us in the right direction,” Coach Gregg said.
Hoese and Bailey were named to the all-tournament team post game.
The South Greene Lady Rebels finished runner up in this year’s Big H BBQ Christmas Bash after losing to the hosting Cherokee Lady Chiefs 42-37. Hear from Head Coach Stephen Gregg post game. pic.twitter.com/raObvZcbGx
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) December 21, 2025
