Lady Hawks turn table on Mt. Juliet for district title
A bunch of happy Hawks celebrate Green Hill鈥檚 District 7-4A tournament championship over Mt. Juliet.
Mt. Juliet鈥檚 Jeremy Hawks was named District 7-4A Coach of the Year.
HENDERSONVILLE 鈥 A year after losing to Mt. Juliet in the District 12-4A final, Green Hill got a measure of payback in a new district Monday night as the Lady Hawks won the 7-4A plaque 49-39 at Beech鈥檚 Boots Scott Court.
Green Hill swept Mt. Juliet during the regular season. But this time the Lady Hawks got in the first blow with a 7-2 lead. It was 15-9 at first-quarter鈥檚 end as Willa Heilman hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer for Green Hill.
But the Lady Bears battled back with a 10-0 run to start the second quarter for a 19-15 lead. Green Hill came back to knot the score 19-19 on K.T. Tolbert鈥檚 driving layup 1:11 before halftime, a score which held into the break.
Green Hill took control in the third quarter, opening a 38-29 lead on Emma Savage鈥檚 triple from the wing at the buzzer. The Lady Bears battled in the fourth but got no closer than 38-33 as they fell to 22-9 for the season.
鈥淭he saying it鈥檚 hard to beat a team two times, three times, I guess tonight was our night,鈥 second-year Green Hill coach Cody King said. 鈥淐redit to our players. (The Lady Bears) win 50-50 balls. The basketball finds energy. That鈥檚 a team, they are opportunistic because they play with passion, they play with pride, they dive on the floor. We knew that coming in and we had to fend that off and the girls were ready tonight.鈥
鈥淭hey came out and they wanted it more than we did,鈥 said Mt. Juliet鈥檚 Jeremy Hawks, the district鈥檚 Coach of the Year after the Lady Bears captured the top seed for the tournament. 鈥淭hey played a great game tonight and got the job done and now we move on to region. You learn from it and move on. They did a great job and deserve to win and I鈥檓 super-happy for them. I know most of those girls over there and their families. It鈥檚 a great team, great coach. Outside of when they play us, I cheer for them.鈥
Tolbert led the Lady Hawks with 17 points and was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Heilman joined her on the all-tournament team after tossing in 10 points. Savage and McKinlee Parker each added eight in also making the all-tourney team and Juliana Mitchell six as Green Hill improved to 26-3.
McClaine Ringenberg racked up 21 points to lead the Lady Bears as she and Ryleigh Clayton were named all-tournament. Clayton scored six points, Claire Emery four, Addy Osborne (who fouled out) and Isabella Craig three each and Sophie McGresham two.
The scene shifts to the Region 4-4A tournament at James Lawson in Bellevue. All four girls鈥 quarterfinal games will be played Friday starting at mid-afternoon. Green Hill is expected to play McGavock and Mt. Juliet is to take on Cane Ridge. The tournament meeting will be held today with times finalized. Should the District 7 teams (Lebanon and Hendersonville are the others) win Friday, the tournament would shift to the other district, either Beech or a Wilson County school, which was unclear Monday, for the semifinals next Monday and finals next Wednesday.
All-district honors were also announced following the game. Green Hill鈥檚 Tolbert and Mt. Juliet鈥檚 Osborne were named co-Most Valuable Players. Ringenberg, Emery and Aaliyah Holman represented the Lady Bears on the all-district team while Heilman and Parker were the picks from the Lady Hawks. GHHS鈥 Parker and MJ鈥檚 Emery were named to the all-defensive team.
Lebanon pulls away from Hendersonville for third place in 7-4A
HENDERSONVILLE 鈥 Hendersonville may be District 7-4A鈥檚 best defensive team. But Lebanon got enough offense to pull away from the Lady Commandos 34-20 in the third-place game of the district tournament Monday night at Beech鈥檚 Boots Scott Court.
The teams grinded it out to a 7-7 first-quarter tie. Forward Maggie Kelley scored six of her game-high 13 points in the second quarter as Lebanon opened a 17-10 lead before the Lady Commandos closed the margin to 17-14 by halftime.
Hendersonville scored first in the second half to make it a 17-16 game before the Devilettes reeled off the next 16 points to take the game deep into the fourth quarter and seal their 24th win of the season against six setbacks.
鈥淚t was really good defense,鈥 Lebanon coach Cory Barrett said. 鈥淲e really worked on our zone and things the last couple of weeks. Our kids are doing a great job making people think a little bit.
鈥淭he game was so clean the first half we only had one foul. Third time you play somebody, too, both teams know each other so well, you鈥檙e feeling each other out, trying to find those chinks in the armor.鈥
Point guard Naleiya Withrow-Walker scored seven points for Lebanon while Tiara Spencer sank a pair of 3-pointers for her six, Tramaria Neal five and Carleigh Barrett a 3.
No one scored in double figures for the Lady Commandos, who slipped to 17-12.
Spencer and Kelley were named to the all-tournament team following the Green Hill-Mt. Juliet championship game. Spencer and Ellie Beth McDonald were chosen all-district while Withrow-Walker was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year.
The scene shifts to James Lawson in Bellevue on Friday where Lebanon is expected to play John Overton on Friday. Hendersonville will take on District 8 champion Hillsboro with times to be finalized during the tournament meeting today. If District 7 sweeps the four Friday games, the tournament would relocate to Beech or perhaps a Wilson County school (it鈥檚 unclear which) for next Monday鈥檚 semifinals and Wednesday鈥檚 final.
Lady Hawks win semifinal thriller over Lebanon
In a thriller of a semifinal, Green Hill advanced to the championship game by outlasting Lebanon 42-37 last Saturday at Beech.
The final score doesn鈥檛 do the game justice as the teams went tooth and nail, back and forth.
The Lady Hawks went ahead to stay on a 3-pointer by McKinlee Parker with 4:17 to play for a 37-35 edge. The score stayed there as Green Hill began working clock and Lebanon had to foul just to get the Lady Hawks into the bonus. Parker put in two free throws for a four-point lead inside the final minute.
Lebanon鈥檚 Tiara Spencer was fouled and she got those points back from the line with 43.4 seconds left.
Parker hit a free throw for a three-point lead with 30 seconds left. Lebanon missed a layup and Parker hustled downcourt for a coast-to-coast layup for the final score as Green Hill improved to 25-3 going into Monday鈥檚 championship game against Mt. Juliet.
The Devilettes dropped to 23-6 going into Monday鈥檚 third-place game against Hendersonville. All four teams will play later this week as the Region 4-4A tournament tips off at James Lawson.
K.T. Tolbert led the Lady Hawks with 12 points. Parker put in a pair of 3-pointers and 3 of 4 fourth-quarter free throws as she and Willa Heilman each had 11. McKenna Solomon and Emma Savage each sank a 3 and Juliana Mitchell two.
Spencer was hounded by Solomon all game but still led Lebanon with 16 points, sinking 7 of 9 free throws. Point guard Naleiya Withrow-Walker fell into foul trouble and went into an offense/defense platoon with Marlie Beaty to stave off a fifth foul (she got her fourth on an illegal screen in the third period). But she made it through the game with10 points. Maggie Kelley and Tramaria Neal each notched four inside and Carleigh Barrett an early 3-pointer.
Lebanon scored the game鈥檚 first two points before Green Hill pulled out to a 12-7 lead at the first-quarter break. The Devilettes battled back and led by three as the teams went back and forth from the second quarter on. A putback by Tolbert with six seconds left put the Lady Hawks back ahead 18-17 going into halftime.
After swapping leads for the first half of the third quarter, the Lady Hawks built a 32-26 lead as a technical foul was called on the Lebanon bench (it was on someone on the end of the bench, but by rule was charged to Coach Cory Barrett). Three-pointers by Withrow-Walker and Spencer turned momentum around as the Devilettes drew into a 32-32 tie. Tolbert鈥檚 putback put Green Hill back in front 34-32 going into the fourth.
Lady Bears handle Hendersonville in semis
HENDERSONVILLE 鈥 Mt. Juliet鈥檚 had problems with Hendersonville the last couple of years, including a loss this season.
But the Lady Bears were on point throughout a 38-22 District 7-4A semifinal win last Saturday afternoon at Beech.
Three first-quarter 3-pointers by McClaine Ringenberg shot Mt. Juliet to a 17-10 first-quarter lead. The Lady Bears were up 24-18 at halftime and 33-22 going into the fourth before pitching a shutout over the final eight minutes.
Point guard Addy Osborne sank 5 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter as she led the Lady Bears with 16 points while Ringenberg racked up 12 on four first-half triples. Isabella Craig finished with four and Claire Emery, Makayla Hopson and Ryleigh Clayton two each as Mt. Juliet moved to 22-8 going into Monday鈥檚 championship game against Green Hill.
No one scored in double figures for the Lady Commandos, who slipped to 17-11 going into Monday鈥檚 third-place game against Lebanon. All four remaining teams will open Region 4-4A tournament play later this week at James Lawson.
Green Hill ousts Wilson Central in tourney opener
HENDERSONVILLE 鈥 Green Hill opened the District 7-4A tournament last Wednesday with a 59-41 win over Wilson Central at Beech鈥檚 Boots Scott Court.
The Lady Hawks turned a 12-10 first-quarter edge to a 34-22 halftime lead and 50-31 going into the fourth.
Emma Savage sank five 3-pointers to lead the Lady Hawks with 17 points while K.T. Tolbert tossed in 11 of her 15 in the first half. McKinlee Parker poured in 10 while Juliana Mitchell scored seven in the second, McKenna Solomon two 3s for her six in the third and Willa Heilman four in the first half.
Kylie Moss led the Lady Wildcats with 11 points while Brylee Fly finished with 10. Ellie Ramsey racked up six steals and five assists as she and Freedom Pfeil each finished with six, Riley Mirghavami four and Madison Jackson and senior Kiley Jo Byrom two apiece.
Pfeil was named to the all-district team and Ramsey was chosen to the all-defensive team, it was announced following the tournament鈥檚 championship game Monday.
Lebanon routs Gallatin in first round
HENDERSONVILLE 鈥 Lebanon had no trouble with Gallatin in a 69-22 triumph to open the District 7-4A tournament last Wednesday at Beech鈥檚 Boots Scott Court.
The Devielttes led 16-3 at the first-quarter break and 33-7 at halftime.
Tiara Spencer swished four 3-pointers in leading Lebanon with 21 points while Carleigh Barrett bagged a pair of triples on her way to 14 and Audrey Jones 10 from the post. Naleiya Withrow-Walker sank 7 of 9 free throws on her way to nine while Tramaria Neal finished with five, Maggie Kelley four, Kyleeyah Jennings a 3, Blakelyn Wright two and Marlie Beaty and a free throw.
No one scored in double figures for Gallatin.
