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20230305-122141-2023 Class 1A State Girls' Basketball Tournament Bracket.pdf

Lady Rebels Head to State

McKENZIE (March 4)  The McKenzie Lady Rebels punched their ticket to the TSSAA Blue Cross State Championship Tournament after defeating the Huntland Lady Hornets 67-57 on Saturday inside Crisp Arena at Bethel University. The Lady Rebels and Lady Hornets were neck to neck throughout the first three periods, but McKenzie took a large lead during the final quarter to secure their victory.

The Lady Hornets chalked up 18 points in the first quarter. Logan McLennan had ten points. Ashtyn Danley drove to the basket for four points, and Jocy May had two points in the paint. Aysia Williams tacked on two points at the free-throw line.

The Lady Rebels had a committee effort during the first quarter to score 20 points. Kylie Reynolds drained two shots from the foul line. Mikaela Reynolds and Savannah Davis had five points each. Katie Chesser made a shot from beyond the arc for three points. Briley Auvenshine muscled her way to the basket for two points. The Lady Rebels took the lead when Sophie Pate made a 3-pointer. McKenzie held a two-point edge over Huntland at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Hornets were stumped by the McKenzie defense during the second quarter. Huntland scored 15 points during the quarter. Morgan Sanders drove to the basket for two points, then drained a 3-pointer. Yareli Avalos and Danley had two points each. McLennan drove to the basket for two points, then made one shot at the foul line. May made a shot from arc for three.

The Lady Rebels went on a 20-4 score run during the final three minutes of the second quarter to gain a ten points lead at halftime. Davis led the rally with nine points all from the three-point line. Chesser made two three-pointers and two free throws. Mikaela Reynolds drove to the basket for two points, then drew a foul to match those two points at the foul line. Kylie Reynolds drew a foul and made both of her shots at the free throw line. The Lady Rebels held a 43-33 lead over the Lady Hornets at halftime.

After the break, the Lady Hornets were eager to earn the lead back. Avalos had four points in the paint and two from the line. McLennan had four points in the paint. Williams drove to the rim for two points. May and Danley both tacked on one point from the free throw line.

The Lady Rebels cooled off during the third quarter, but were able to keep their lead. Mikaela Reynolds and Davis had two points each. Kylie Reynolds drained a 3-pointer to keep the Lady Rebels ahead. The Lady Hornets trailed the Lady Rebels 50-47 at the end of the third quarter.

The Lady Hornets chalked up 10 points in the final quarter, but weren’t able to hold off the Lady Rebels. May and McLennan had four points each. Danley drove to the basket for two points.

McKenzie held their lead with the help of Davis’ ten points in the fourth quarter. Davis made a shot from the arc, then drove to the basket for four points, and had another three points at the free throw line. Chesser had a shot from the 3-point line. Mikaela Reynolds had three points from the foul line, and Kyle Reyolds tacked on one point from the line.

The Lady Rebels defeated the Lady Hornets 67-57 to punch their ticket to the Glass House.

“It’s been quite a season,” Coach John Wilkins. “[The Lady Hornets] are tough. Every time we would get them down or we would get a little run, they would answer back with a run. The kids were saying ‘their good coach’ and they are good. Everyone at this stage of the year is good. It is going to take all four quarters for the rest of the year.”

The Lady Rebels defense was a huge part of their victory tonight with multiple steals in their full court press and a few blocks in the paint.

“We know what [our full court press] is just how we have to play in order for us to have a chance to win. We have to make it full court all night long. We talked a lot about getting deflections and I thought our girls got their hands on a lot of passes tonight even if we didn’t steal it .”

Wilkins tipped his hat to Huntland for their effort against his team, and looks to the next opponents even though the bracket hasn’t been drawn yet.

“We will be happy just to be there and play with anybody. Ultimately we want to find a way to play on Saturday,” Wilkins said. “I’m proud of the girls for hanging with the process and finding a way to win tonight. We have a bunch of winners on this team. When they came and threw some haymakers at us, we had kids just respond and make plays. I’m really proud of them and their effort.”

The McKenzie Lady Rebels will head to Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, March 7 to start the state tournament. The state tournament games will take place at MTSU’s Murphy Center.