If a basketball season was measured solely by the level of improvement from start to finish, the just concluded first year of the East Hamilton Lady Hurricanes under coach Hunter Gremore would be considered an unmitigated success.
East Hamilton lost 54-51 to visiting White County in a Region 3-AAA quarterfinal Friday night, but in doing so stood toe to toe with a team it had lost to by 17 points twice this season.
The Lady 'Canes held a six-point halftime lead Friday, led with less than two minutes to play and were tied with a minute to go, but a rash of turnovers doomed them down the stretch.
"It was a great basketball game," Gremore said. "We had a chance up two with a little over a minute left, but we put the ball in bounds and it goes through our hands. We turned it over the next possession and the next one, but still we are at the free-throw line with 19 seconds left with a chance to tie."
East Hamilton (16-14), playing three freshmen much of the game, dominated the glass, recording a 36-13 rebounding edge. However, the youth showed in 23 turnovers, with seven coming in the final eight minutes as the game went back and forth.
The Warriorettes (23-9), kept out of the lane most of the night by the quicker Lady 'Canes defense, went outside for their offense in the second half, hitting five 3-pointers. They made three in the first 2:27 of the final period, with Megan Anderson's bomb tying the game at 46.
Fantastic freshman Madison Hayes regained the lead for East Hamilton with a strong drive that netted two of her team-high 13 points, but White County's Hannah Leftwich made two free throws to tie with 2:36 left.
The score was still tied with a little more than a minute left when the first of three consecutive turnovers led to a made free throw by Kaleigh Bray, who seconds later forced a jump ball that led to another made free throw and a two-point lead.
East Hamilton freshman Dezah Lacy hit one of two free throws with 19 seconds left to make it a one-point game, but White County senior DeAndra Luna scored the final two of her 19 points from the foul line with 16 seconds left. East Hamilton had one last shot, but Hayes' potential tying 3-pointer just missed.
"East Hamilton is playing on a completely different level than the two times we played them before Christmas," praised White County coach Michael Dodgen. "They are going to be a force to be reckoned with in this area for a long time.
"Tonight they made shots they didn't make last time and they kicked our rears on the boards, but our kids hung in there and stepped up. I don't care how good you are, it's always tough on the road in the first round of the region."
Gremore, though disappointed with the loss, also knows the future is bright.
"We started the season real slow, with three freshmen on the floor a lot," he said. "We started 4-9 and finished 12-5 the rest of the year, so we've shown tremendous improvement.
"It's like I just told the girls, 'Look how far we've come.' We've got the majority of our team coming back next year, so let's regroup, work hard and see how far we can go."
Harris also added 11 rebounds, five steals and blocked two shots for the Lady Hurricanes, while fellow freshman Eliziah LaBoo scored 10 points and hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.