MT. JULIET — After a string of tight back-and-forth games between the city rivals, Wednesday’s Region 4-4A girls’ final between Mt. Juliet and host Green Hill was a first-quarter knockout for the Lady Hawks, who captured their first region championship with a 55-29 trouncing on the Hill.
The Lady Hawks scored the game’s first 10 points and Mt. Juliet, even after scoring, never got closer.
Green Hill will host Cookeville at 7 p.m. Saturday in the sectional while Mt. Juliet is in Cleveland taking on top-ranked/undefeated/three-time defending state champion Bradley Central in a battle of Bearettes/Lady Bears, set for a 6 p.m. CST tip. Saturday’s winners will advance to next week’s state tournament at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center in Murfreesboro.
The Lady Hawks led 19-7 at halftime and 45-20 going into the fourth. They were up by 30, 51-21, at one point as they improved to 29-3. Mt. Juliet slipped to 24-10.
Green Hill coach Cody King didn’t see this one coming.
“We were prepared, we were ready,†King said. “We felt good going in. We had a really good practice (Tuesday), good walkthrough.
“We finally hit where we shot really well, where we played good defense and shots. Everything came together for us tonight… We needed it.â€
Mt. Juliet coach Jeremy Hawks said the Lady Bears have been hit by the flu bug.
“But obviously, Green Hill came out and just played like they wanted it more,†Hawks said. “Whether we were sick or not, our girls just weren’t into the game from top to bottom and Green Hill, they were going after every loose ball, every rebound. They acted like they a team on a mission and they got it done.â€
Willa Heilman led the Lady Hawks with 17 points while tournament Most Valuable Player KT Tolbert tossed in 10. McKenna Solomon sank three 3-pointers for her nine. McKinlee Parker pumped in a pair of 3s on her way to eight. Emma Savage, Ellea Earheart, Juliana Mitchell and McKenzie Mangan managed two each.
Ryleigh Clayton led the Lady Bears with nine points while Claire Emery scored six, Addy Osborne four, Sophia McGresham three; Marissa Hopson, Isabella Craig and Ava Grisham two each and McKayla Hopson a free throw.
Tolbert was joined on the all-tournament team by Green Hill teammates Parker and Heilman, Mt. Juliet’s Clayton and Every and Lebanon’s Maggie Kelley.
The game in Cleveland will just the second meeting between longtime state powers Mt. Juliet and Bradley Central.
The first came in 1977 when Mt. Juliet, in its first state tournament, stopped Bradley's bid for a third straight title (the first came in '75 over Lebanon) with a 43-42 semifinals win in a battle of Bearettes as MJ went on to its first championship.
Bradley has won 49 straight games and hasn't lost to a team from Tennessee in four years.
At Green Hill, Cookeville returns to the gym where the undefeated Lady Cavaliers were stunned in the 2022 district finals by the Lady Hawks on a 3-pointer by Savannah Kirby in the final seconds.
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