by Rusty Ellis
MURFREESBORO – The Upperman Lady Bees are set to make their fifth championship game appearance in nine years, as UHS toppled South Gibson 44-14 in the Class 3A Semifinals on Friday night.
South Gibson took an early 8-5 lead on a three-point make from Hallie Allen, and then the Lady Bee defense took over. Upperman proceeded to go on a 25-0 run that bridged the final 2:32 of the first quarter and the 1:35 mark of the third.
Sandwiched in-between was a shutout second quarter defensively for Upperman, as threes from Taylor Dolente, Gracie Hamilton and Bella Mullins gave the Lady Bees a 21-8 lead at the half. Dolente led all scorers with nine first-half points, all on three-pointers.
A defensive run that doesn’t happen by accident, UHS head coach Dana McWilliams credited the work her scout team did to prepare her players for what they would see from South Gibson.
“We talk about that a lot, and we mean it, the scout team takes a lot of pride in what they do,” McWilliams said. “We were prepared, I don’t think they threw anything at us that we weren’t ready for, that I can remember…that’s really a testament to what (coach Tyler McWilliams and Emily Hughes) do, 2 A.M. they were still up looking at film.”
Dolente opened the third with another three, and that sparked a 12-1 run in the third quarter to push the lead to 36-9 at the end of the third.
By the time the dust had settled, it was the Upperman Lady Bees who clinched their spot in the 3A State Championship with a 44-14 win over South Gibson.
“I thought we were as good as we were all year, defensively,” McWilliams said. “They’ve got three really good shooters and a really good post player inside, so we were really on our game, knowing what we wanted to do…they scored one point in the second and third quarters combined, that’s all (the players).”
Dolente’s hit a hot streak over the last two games in the Murphy Center, hitting 10 threes in the Lady Bees’ wins over Greeneville and South Gibson. The sophomore sharpshooter remembers what it felt like a year ago when their season ended against Jackson South Side in the first round, and it makes getting to the title game even more rewarding.
“It feels great to be in the state championship,” Dolente said. “This spring and this fall, we worked hard, came in early and got some shots in. Most girls came in and put in their own work…we’ve been rewarded to be in this game because of our hard work.”
The Lady Bees will now turn their attention to Dyersburg (29-4) in the Class 3A State Championship at 8:30 P.M.
“You’re coaching against great coaches, and playing against great players, so every night it’s a challenge,” McWilliams said. “For us, this is not easy, but our season’s not easy, and I think a lot of that is we’re in the area we’re in…when you play in our district, it prepares you for this, because every night is like this.”
