MURFREESBORO (March 11) — The McKenzie Lady Rebels defended their state title by defeating the Wayne County Lady Wildcats 71-54. The Lady Rebels took a quick lead in the first quarter and added onto that throughout the night.

The Lady Rebels chalked up 20 points in the first quarter. Savannah Davis led the team with nine points from the 3-point arc. Mikaela Reynolds drove to the paint twice drawing a foul for a three-point play. Kylie Reynolds made a single free throw, then made a 3-pointer. She then drove to the basket for two points.

The Lady Wildcats had 14 points to start the game. Jacqueline Keaton drove the basket for four points. Lauren Bryant and Anniston Lee drained 3-pointers. Blair Baugus tacked on two points in the paint. The Lady Wildcats trailed the Lady Rebels 20-14 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Rebels increased their lead during the second quarter to take a ten-point lead at halftime. Kylie Reynolds chalked up five points. Mikaela Reynolds had four points, Davis drained two 3-pointers and Briley Auvenshine muscled her way to the basket for two points.

The Lady Wildcats were held to 13 points in the second quarter. Baugus chalked up seven points. Alexis Maghielse made her way to the paint for four points. Bryant drove to the rim for two points. Wayne County trailed McKenzie 37-27 at halftime.
The Lady Wildcats added 12 points to their side of the board during the third quarter. Maghielse had a three-point play in the paint to start the second half. Baugus drove to the basket for four points. Keaton tacked on three points. Kylee Brewer worked her way to the rim for two points.

The Lady Rebels added to their lead over the Lady Wildcats. Davis made two 3-pointers and had two points in the paint. Kylie and Mikaela Reynolds had two points from the free-throw line. Auvenshine tacked on two points in the paint. McKenzie held a 51-39 lead over Wayne County going into the final quarter.

The Lady Wildcats tacked on 15 points during the fourth quarter. Maghielse made two shots from the foul line, then made a shot from the 3-point arc. Kenzie Griggs drained a 3-point shot as well. Baugus tacked on two points from the free-throw line. Lauren Bryant had a 3-point play in the paint. Keaton chalked up two points under the net.

The Lady Rebels topped off the state championship with a 20-point quarter. Mikaela Reynolds drove to the basket for four points and made one free throw. Davis made three 2-point shots for McKenzie. Chesser made two back-to-back 3-point shots. She then made a foul shot. Auvenshine drove to the basket for two points. The Lady Rebels defeated the Lady Wildcats 71-54.

McKenzie shot 78.6% from the 3-point line and 56.5% from the floor. The Lady Rebels went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line.

The Lady Rebels gave the Lady Wildcats their only loss of the season (36-1). McKenzie forced 14 turnovers and had five blocks.

McKenzie was crowned the 1A State Champions for the second year in a row. Coach John Wilkins gave credit to the girls for them buying into the process.

“We will go home and enjoy this tonight,” Wilkins said. “It’s credit to them though.”

Wilkins mentioned the shooting machines that the girls practiced on every day throughout the year to make them better.

The Lady Rebels sported four all-tournament team players: Kylie and Mikaela Reynolds, Savannah Davis and Briley Auvenshine.

Savannah Davis commented on being a state champion two years in a row. “It’s great to be champs two years in a row. That doesn’t really happen a lot. The amount of adversity we faced or I faced at the beginning of the year makes it feel amazing to finish out being a champ, and I feel like we faced so much. We had to change roles and do what we normally don’t do. It just feels amazing to finish like this.”

After the game, Wilkins gave thanks to the McKenzie community for their support of him, his family and his teams.

The Lady Rebels finished their season with a record of 25-7 and a state title.