Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Clay County Lady Bulldogs won their first district tournament championship since 2004 on Monday night, defeating Red Boiling Springs 47-39.
The game didn’t get off to a great start however, as RBS jumped out to an 18-8 lead at one point in the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs battled back with the final two baskets of the quarter, cutting the deficit to just 18-12 heading into the second.
The second quarter saw the continuation of the Lady Bulldogs’ solid play, as they scored the first six points off the frame to tie the score at 18. RBS pulled back ahead shortly after, but a Bella Ashlock floater at the buzzer trimmed the lead down to just one at 24-23 heading into the locker room.
Ashlock then gave the Lady Bulldogs their first lead since 2-0 with a basket at the 5:50 mark of the third quarter, and it jumpstarted a frame that saw Clay outscored Red Boiling Springs 13-2 to take a 10-point lead into the fourth.
There, the Clay defense locked down enough to close the game out and win the district tournament championship 47-39 over Red Boiling Springs.
Ashlock led the way with 14 points, while Briley Burchett scored 12 points for head coach Matthew Walker.
“It feels really sweet winning the tournament,” Walker said. “Winning the regular season was sweet too, because that’s an eight-game grind…it’s tough every night because everyone in our district is really good.”
Ashlock was added back into the lineup shortly after the turn of the calendar, and her presence was massive for the Lady Bulldogs in withstanding Red Boiling Springs’ early start.
“Bella’s been playing great for us,” Walker said. “It’s just a shame that she’s been hurt and hasn’t been able to showcase her full set of skills, but everyone around our program knows how valuable she is.”
The region tournament is up next for the Lady Bulldogs, and Walker believe that all the pieces are in place for a deep run to Murfreesboro.
“I think we’ve got the pieces to make a really good run,” Walker said. “I think we play really good defense, and we’ve got so many weapons on offense. I really think we can make a really good run.”
