Story by Noah McKay
MURFREESBORO – The Clay County Lady Bulldogs’ season came to an end in a 58-55 overtime quarterfinal loss against Moore County in the 2024 TSSAA Class A State Tournament on Wednesday at the Murphy Center.
The Lady Bulldogs (22-11) forced overtime with key buckets down the stretch, but were unable to overcome two overtime threes by Moore County’s Katie Fletcher.
“Credit their team and their pressure,” said CCHS head coach Matt Walker. “They’ve got a really good team… to me, this (Clay County) team, is one of the grittiest bunches we’ve seen. To me, that’s what makes them special”
Both teams traded buckets early in the contest, with neither team building a two-possession lead in the opening frame. Bella Ashlock made a layup in the final seconds to tie the game at 15 after one.
The Raiderettes made two straight layups to stretch a six-point lead. The Lady Bulldogs answered late in the half with an and-one by Laci Wix and a layup by Madison Hayes as they took a 28-27 lead into halftime.
Each team traded runs in the third quarter, as the Raiderettes took a 36-35 lead into the final frame of regulation.
MCHS regained a five-point lead with a layup midway through the fourth, but the Lady Bulldogs answered with a 7-0 run on four points from Halle Buford and an Ella Eads triple, but the Raiderettes made a layup with 43 seconds to play to force overtime.
The two Fletcher threes and two free throws gave Moore County a five-point advantage. Clay County answered with a three by Hayes. The Lady Bulldogs tried to answer two MCHS free throws in the final seconds with a last-second three that fell short, securing the victory for Moore County.
“When we didn’t turn the ball over, we were scoring pretty efficiently,” said Walker.
Buford led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points. Aashlock scored 13 points. Hayes added 11. Eads tallied six with Baylor Walden scoring four and Wix scoring three with seven assists.
The game marked the final outing for seniors Buford, Hayes, Ashlock, Avah Carr and Kendall Matthews.
“I think it’s one of the more special (groups) that has come through here,” said Walker on his seniors. “Each one of them has overcome so me kind of adversity. They’ve overcome a lot.”
The state tournament appearance was the 13th in school history and the third in the last four years for Clay County.
