The Macon County Tigerettes captured the first state championship in school history with a 51-40 win over the Grainger Lady Grizzlies on Saturday at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro in the 2021 TSSAA BlueCross Class AA Tournament championship game.
The Tigerettes overcame a seven-point second quarter deficit and made 88% of their free throws to secure the gold ball.
“It’s a dream come true,” said MCHS head coach Larry White. “We just stuck together the whole year. It is the greatest feeling I’ve had in coaching.”
The Tigerettes opened the game on a 6-2 run with two layups by Abby Shoulders and another by Jalynn Gregory.
The Lady Grizzlies then took a slim lead with a layup, but Gregory scored four straight to give MCHS a 12-9 lead after one.
Grainger then took the momentum with a 10-0 run to open the third quarter with the help of two three pointers. Shoulders then scored four straight to cut the deficit to 16-19. With 1:58 remaining Gregory converted a three-point play to tie the game at 21 entering halftime.
“If you leave (Grainger) open, they’re going to make them,” said White. “We made those corrections and from that point on we did a really good job of shutting them down.”
The teams traded baskets early in the third quarter before the Lady Grizzlies went on a 6-0 run to earn a 33-27 lead. Taylor Ward made a three pointer with 41 seconds remaining in the frame to cut the deficit to 33-30 at the end of the third quarter. Ward’s first three, which came moments earlier, was the first basket made by someone other than Gregory and Shoulders.
“I think the turning point of the game was when Taylor (Ward) made that three in the corner,” said White. “It just opened everything up.”
The Tigerettes, who were making their fifth straight appearance in the tournament, opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to regain a five-point lead with the help of triples by Gregory and Saranda Woodson. The Lady Grizzlies then cut the deficit to two with a three pointer, but they would not score for the next 5:01 of the game.
The Tigerettes would close out their championship winning season by converting on 11 free throws in the final minutes to secure the 51-40 victory.
“Our defense today was unbelievable,” said White.
Gregory led the way with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists while going 12-13 from the free throw line. Shoulders tallied 15 points. Ward scored eight points and added five rebounds. Woodson grabbed eight rebounds and tallied three points. Emily Ashburn rounded out the scoring with two.
The Tigerettes played just five players in the championship game, and six total during the tournament. All five starters are seniors.
“It meant so much to me,” said Shoulders, who is signed to play softball at MTSU. “I knew I had, at most, three games left. I knew I had to play my heart out because I didn’t know what game could be my last.”
The gold ball marks the first championship in White’s 45-year coaching career. The Tigerettes have made 10 trips to the state tournament. The 2021 game marked their fourth trip to the state title game.
Photos by Noah McKay:
