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Harpeth Hall girls top Ensworth to reach final four

Harpeth Hall helped itself to some revenge in its Division II Class AA substate matchup at rival Ensworth.

After having their previous two postseason runs ended by the Lady Tigers, the Bears returned the favor on Monday night, notching a 53-45 win to secure a spot in the final four.

“We’re so excited,” Harpeth Hall’s Shelby Nutter said. “We’ve made it there the last two years and have been knocked out in the semis by Ensworth both times. That’s why this is so big.”

The Honeybears will take on Briarcrest in Thursday’s semifinal at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena. Ensworth ended its season one step short of the state’s final four.

Harpeth Hall (19-10), which led by as many as 17 points, reeled off nine unanswered to begin the second half. However, the Lady Tigers responded with a lopsided run of their own, pulling to within six on a Xavia Williams jumper in the final minute of the third quarter.

“We knew (the lead) wasn’t safe,” Bears coach Anne Weingartner said. “They gave us some trouble in the full-court press and we got a little rattled, but fortunately we were able to pull through.”

Nutter, who buried three first half 3-pointers, scored 12 of her team-leading 25 points in the fourth quarter to help stave off a furious Ensworth rally.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in Shelby Nutter handling the basketball, so I’ll be honest, we don’t work on press break a whole lot,” Weingartner said. “We handled it.”

The Lady Tigers (13-11), who split with Harpeth Hall in the regular season, leaned heavily on Jordyn Cambridge, but the freshman guard’s team-high 25 points weren’t enough.

“Jordyn has decided to just get the ball and get down the court before they have a chance to set the defense up,” Ensworth coach Cleve Harris said. “That’s been our thing. Get it and go. The first look is always to her down the court.”

Cambridge’s layup with 5:24 remaining trimmed her team’s deficit to 41-38, but Nutter converted back-to-back three-point plays to widen the margin once again.

“I think that was good for morale,” Nutter said. “Basketball is a game of runs, and that run was helpful.”

Junior Raleigh Potts finished with 16 points for Harpeth Hall, while sophomores Mary Triplett and Lauren Bars each contributed four.

“I think our girls were ready for revenge,” Weingartner said. “This is a big rivalry for us, so I didn’t have to say much to get them fired up. Our season has been kind of up and down, and that little snow break I think was good for us.”

Williams tallied seven points in the season-ending loss for Ensworth, while sophomore Lauren Smith added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

“We’re just young,” Harris said. “We’re still making mistakes that as a head coach you kind of wish you were further along by this point in the year. We play well sometimes, we’re just very inconsistent.”

Local teams advance: Ensworth’s boys claimed a come-from-behind 55-51 win over host McCallie Monday to advance to the state’s final four, while Brentwood Academy’s girls rolled to a 60-27 win over St. Agnes to also advance. Father Ryan was eliminated with a 44-41 setback at Briarcrest.

In DII-A, Davidson Academy’s boys reached the state semifinals with a 61-55 win over Lausanne. USN’s girls dropped a 48-29 decision to Harding Academy.

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