The Summertown Lady Eagles topped the Clarkrange Lady Buffaloes 37-34 in an overtime thriller in the first round of the 2021 TSSAA BlueCross Basketball Class A Tournament at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro.
It was a battle between two of the top teams in the state, and the Lady Buffaloes fell just short in their pursuit of a ninth state title.
“It was just a defensive ball game,” said CHS head coach Lamar Rogers. “We were a really good offensive ball club, contrary to (what we saw tonight), but (Summertown) had something to do with that.”
The Lady Buffaloes raced out to a 13-5 lead midway through the first quarter after five points by Kassie Monday and a three pointer by Lexie Pierce.
The Lady Eagles then used their strong defense to hold Clarkrange to just four points in the second quarter and cut the deficit to 19-16 at the end of the first half. The Lady Buffaloes shot just 25% in the second frame, but held the Lady Eagles to 16.7% as they took a slim lead into the break.
The Lady Eagles buried a triple with 5:27 remaining in the third quarter to take their first lead, but Mattie Bush banked in a jumper at the buzzer to give the Lady Buffaloes a 30-27 lead at the end of three.
The two single-A powerhouses battled to a 31-31 tie midway through the fourth quarter. Neither team scored for the remainder of regulation, sending the game into overtime.
Summertown gained a four-point lead with free throws during overtime, then Kaylie Monday buried a three to cut the deficit to one.
Katie Burdette made two free throws for the Lady Eagles with 16 seconds to play, and Clarkrange was unable to find a basket as SHS escaped with a three-point win.
“It’s your goal every year, to get to the Murphy Center and see what you can do,” said Rogers. “It was a long season. The expectations… are really high on us. Expectations weighed on us a little bit.”
Miss Basketball finalist Kassie Monday led Clarkrange in scoring with 16 points in her final game as a Lady Buffalo. Lexie Pierce tallied six. Kaylie Monday and Chloe Howard each added five while Bush scored two.
The Lady Buffaloes ended the season with a 27-6 record. They were the District 6/A champions, Region 3/A champions and made their 26th appearance in the state tournament.
