HIGH SCHOOL

Clarksville girls' defense, rebounding secure region title

George Robinson

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

LEBANON, Tenn. — Playing in its fourth straight Region 5-AAA championship game Wednesday night, Rossview was looking for its first region title.

The Lady Hawks traveled over an hour to get to Lebanon High School and returned home having to wait another year as Clarksville High captured its first region title in five years with a 44-34 victory at Blue Devils Gym.

Both teams secured Class 3A sectional berths by advancing to Wednesday's region title game. But with the victory, Clarksville (26-5) will play host to Centennial Saturday while, for the third straight year, Rossview (20-11) will face Dickson County.

Here are the top three reasons that Clarksville ended its region title drought.

Clarksville High's Deja Walls and her teammates trap Rossview's Semajia Ogburn down on the baseline during the first half of their Region 5-AAA championship game Wednesday in Lebanon.

Glass work

Rossview wasn't particularly happy with its rebounding in Monday's region semifinal upset of sixth-ranked Wilson Central. The Lady Hawks managed to win despite being out-rebounded. That issue cropped up again Wednesday. Clarksville's Lainey Persinger and Deja Walls helped the Lady Wildcats to eight second-chance opportunities. Walls and Persinger also combined for six blocks.

"We talked about, going into this game, that we had to win the paint," Clarksville coach Brian Rush said. "Our guards had to get to the paint and score and we had to defend the paint. We couldn't settle for the outside shot."

Clarksville's Deja Walls (5) and Aliyah Miller (12) go up for a rebound against Rossview during their Region 5-AAA championship game Wednesday in Lebanon.

Defense does win championships

It wasn't a state title, but Clarksville will take it. The Lady Wildcats held Rossview to just two points in the first quarter, handing the Lady Hawks a bit of their own defensive medicine.

Clarksville is giving up an average of 34 points a game, which ranks second-best all-time during Rush's decade tenure as the head coach. But his team also faced an equally stingy team in Rossview, which stifled Wilson Central two days prior.

The results were evident as CHS held a 16-14 halftime lead and both combined for just 78 total points.

Rossview's Holly Sellers drives around Clarksville High's Ellie Treanton during the second half of their Region 5-AAA championship game Wednesday in Lebanon.

"This was the unmovable object meeting the irresistable force Wednesday night," Rush said. "It was two elite defensive teams going at it."

Old friends, bitter rivals

It was an All-District 10 region championship and that showed. Both teams knew each other's offensive sets before point guards, on either team, could call them out. The game featured nine jump-ball calls and a lot of missed shots.

The teams split the regular-season meetings, with Clarksville winning the prior meeting — its first against Rossview in four years.

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.