Coverage of the state tournament is presented by Legacy Athletics
MURFREESBORO – The York Dragonettes advanced to the TSSAA Class AA Girls’ State Tournament championship game with a 66-65 win over Gatlinburg-Pittman in an overtime thriller at the Murphy Center.
The Dragonettes battled through two starters fouling out in the fourth quarter, and senior guard Sage Smith made a left-handed runner with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime to secure the victory and berth in the state championship game.
“For the five that were out there, having to play that long together, that’s a whole team right there,” said York head coach Michael Green. “The battle and the fight was amazing.”
The Lady Highlanders opened the game with two-straight threes, but the Dragonettes answered with an 8-1 run to take an 8-7 lead. The Lady Highlanders scored five straight to end the frame with a 12-10 lead.
The Dragonettes opened the second frame with three triples, one each by Emy Crabtree, Gabby Beaty and Sage Smith to extend a 20-12 lead. Ellie Leffew made a layup through a foul with 13 seconds remaining to give the Dragonettes a 28-20 lead at halftime.
GPHS cut the deficit to 29-25 before Gabby Beaty scored four straight to give the Dragonettes an eight-point advantage.
The Lady Highlanders immediately responded with a 10-3 run as they took a 37-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Gabby Beaty secured two offensive rebounds and converted a layup to tie the game at 40, 90 seconds into the fourth. Crabtree then gave the Dragonettes the lead with a corner three, but the Lady Highlanders quickly regained it with two free throws with 5:24 to play.
Gabby Beaty then fouled out of the game with 4:41 remaining. The teams continued to trade baskets and free throws. Leffew scored four straight points to give the Dragonettes a 51-50 lead, but she then fouled out of the game with 51 seconds remaining. GPHS’s Maddy Newman, who scored 29 points in the second half and overtime, converted a three-point-play to give her team a 54-52 lead, but Josie Linder made a layup with seven seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
The teams traded baskets throughout overtime, with the Lady Highlanders holding a 65-61 lead with 28 seconds remaining. Reese Beaty made a layup to cut the deficit to one. The Dragonettes then forced a turnover, and Smith made the game-winner out of a timeout by Green to punch the Dragonettes ticket to the title game.
“I heard (Green) say ‘drive, drive’, so I drove,” said Smith. “I hadn’t hit one before that, so praise God I got that one.”
“I’m really thankful I didn’t call timeout when Sage had it in the corner,” said Green. “For a split second I’m like ‘timeout’, then I’m thinking ‘senior, go’. We’re leaving it to her. She won it for us.”
Green was quick to compliment the play of Linder, Crabtree and Patton who stepped up in the absence of Gabby Beaty and Leffew.
“I can’t say enough about (them) coming in right there,” said Green. “Usually it’s one of them at once. Those three playing the whole time together, and to pull it out on that stage in that type of environment. That’s why we’re a family.”
The Dragonettes were led on the stat sheet by Leffew with 19 points and six rebounds. Gabby Beaty scored 14 points and added eight rebounds. Reese Beaty tallied eight points, six rebounds and five assists. Smith and Crabtree each scored eight. Patton scored six and Linder tallied three.
The Dragonettes were forced through adversity this season, including six losses and Green’s absence away from the team for 70 days, but they are one win away from their ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Jamestown.
“I told them… you’ve overcame so much,” said Green. “We’re not going to let a little turnover or a missed shot (take us down). We’re going to overcome it and we’re going to win. I truly believe it. Basketball’s the easy stuff with what they’ve overcome. They’ve got the fight in them.”
The Dragonettes will take on the winner of Westview and Alcoa on Saturday in the Class AA state championship game. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. at the Murphy Center.
Photos by Kailee Means:
