Shelbyville, Livingston Academy, Clarkrange cop titles

Shelbyville (31-5) took the lead for keeps on a Newman jumper at the 3:33 mark of the second period. Craigmont (33-4) had led the Eaglettes much of the first 12 minutes, but Newman’s score ignited a 10-4 Shelbyville run that culminated in a 24-19 halftime advantage.

The Eaglettes began pulling away in the third period. Another Newman jumper capped an 8-2 spurt that gave Shelbyville a 35-25 lead midway through the quarter.

Craigmont rallied with eight unanswered points to start the fourth period. Alyson Brooks’ lay-up with 5:18 left to play drew the Lady Chiefs to within six at 39-33, but Shelbyville countered with a 7-2 run to pull away again. Abby Canon’s three-pointer with 1:38 remaining gave the Eaglettes a 12-point edge Craigmont could not overcome.

Newman, tournament MVP for the second consecutive year, scored 10 of her 18 points from the free throw line. Canon hit four three-pointers and added 12 for the Eaglettes.

Brooks finished with 12 to lead Craigmont.

Shelbyville has won the AAA crown four of the past five years. Eaglette coach Rick Insell now owns a record 10 state titles.

Livingston Academy 50, McMinn Central 38
Katrina Beechboard finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds as Livingston Academy defeated McMinn Central 50-38 in the Class AA finals of the TSSAA Girls State tournament on Saturday.

Livingston Academy (37-3) began to take over after spotting McMinn Central (30-8) an early 8-0 advantage.

Beechboard, the tournament MVP, scored the Lady Wildcats’ first five points and ignited a 15-2 rally that propelled Livingston Academy into the lead for keeps. Four other players followed Beechboard into the scoring column as the Lady Wildcats built a 20-14 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Livingston Academy continued its rally by outscoring McMinn Central 8-2 over the first five minutes of the second period. The Chargerettes sliced their deficit to 10 points, 28-18, on a jumper by Honna Housley at the 1:49 mark, but Livingston Academy closed the first half with five unanswered points to move into a 33-18 lead at halftime.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with McMinn Central continuously pulling to within 10-12 points and Livingston Academy continuously pulling away again.

The Lady Wildcats finally put the game away when Beechboard scored back-to-back baskets to give the Lady Wildcats a 47-30 advantage with 5:27 left to play. The final 12-point margin was the closest McMinn Central came in the second half.

Housley led McMinn Central with 25 points, including the eight-point spurt to begin the game.

Livingston Academy now has four state tournament titles. The Lady Wildcats tied a tournament record with 21 three-pointers over three games in 2004.

Clarkrange 52, Peabody 37
Tournament MVP Michelle Snow had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Clarkrange claimed its seventh Class A state title with a 52-37 victory over Peabody in the TSSAA Girls State tournament Saturday.

Clarkrange (29-8) was in control from the outset.

Snow scored seven points in the first three minutes to lead the Lady Buffaloes on a 14-1 run to begin the game. Clarkrange led 16-7 at the end of the first period and took its largest lead of the first half, 26-11, on a three-pointer by Jordan Ramsey at the 3:19 mark of the second quarter.

Peabody (31-5) bounced back to pull within 30-18 at the half, then took its best shot at a comeback in the third period. Tanika Long scored seven straight points as the Lady Tide pulled within seven points, 34-27, late in the quarter.

Clarkrange answered again by scoring five points in the final 10 seconds, including three free throws by Ramsey with one second remaining.

The Lady Buffaloes were ahead 39-27 going into the fourth quarter and led by seven or more points the remainder of the game. Snow’s three-pointer with :10 remaining sealed the championship, the first for Clarkrange since 1995.

Ramsey added 13 for the Lady Buffaloes.

Long finished with 13 to lead Peabody, which shot only 26 percent from the field. The Lady Tide were the defending Class A state champions.