Basketball is only the third-favorite sport of Carlee Lowry, which might be hard for some to believe considering the hardwood success of the Signal Mountain junior.
That ranking, though, doesn't mean she's not having plenty of fun this winter. Far from it.
The athletic forward scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles to a 62-40 victory over Tyner in a Times Free Press Best of Preps tournament semifinal Friday at Chattanooga State.
Meanwhile, Chattanooga Christian School also secured its spot in Saturday's 7 p.m. girls' championship game as eighth grader Momo Moore scored 28 points to lead the Lady Chargers to a 61-60 victory over Notre Dame in the other semifinal.
Lowry now has seven 30-point games and is averaging more than 26 points and 10 rebounds per game this season for Signal Mountain, which is 13-2 overall, with both losses coming in a holiday tournament in Orlando, Florida.
"My dream is to play college volleyball," said the 5-foot-11 Lowry, who starred as an outside hitter for the Lady Eagles TSSAA Class AA volleyball state championship team this past fall. "For me, my favorite sports go volleyball, softball and then basketball.
"Our success on the basketball court has been fun because we have such a great team dynamic. Our starting five has been together since middle school. We are really close friends, and that has helped us out a lot."
(READ MORE: Signal Mountain boys respond to opening loss at Best of Preps with win over Brainerd)
As for Lowry and the basketball Lady Eagles, after winning 26 games and reaching the Class 3A sectional round last season, they're pushing for the program's first state tournament appearance.
Lowry's help against Tyner included Ashlyn Rock, who produced in the pain with 18 points as well as several blocked shots and assists.
"I can relate our style to a football team. You have to have linemen in football on the O-line and D-line," Lady Eagles coach Kendra Bell said. "In basketball, even though it has become a 3-point game, I really like my team because we are kind of old school. We play good defense, rebound and get the ball in the paint.
"What Carlee and Ashlyn did out there today is something they have done all season. Sometimes our best offense is to shoot and let them go be athletes and battle in the paint."
Lowry said she and Rock "really piggyback off each other. We are there for each other if the other one misses, and we run the court really well. We love to rebound and build each other's confidence up. We just have to keep getting after it and use our height and athletic ability to our advantage."
Tyner (8-5) provided a stout challenge early as the Lady Rams' athletic guards pressured Signal Mountain into seven turnovers during the first quarter.
Sophomore Mariya Staton's 3-pointer from the top of the arc followed by a runner by junior Shy Harrison cut the Lady Rams' deficit to 32-29 less than five minutes to play in the third quarter. Signal Mountain, though, scored, 23 of the next 25 points, which began with a 6-0 run capped by an in-bounds lob from Abby Walker to Lowry underneath the basket for the easy bucket.
"Tyner has some very good guards, and they have a bright future," Bell said. "This was a good test for us. Now that we are in the championship game, we just have to stay true to what we do and be us."
Staton, who had a triple-double earlier this season, finished with a team-high 13 points, with Harrison adding 11.
CCS 61, Notre Dame 60
Moore, despite not yet being in high school, showed why she is one of Chattanooga's most exciting college prospects.
The Lady Chargers' young star got her game-high 28 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field, including 4-for-9 from 3-point range. She made her first four shots and her first three 3-point attempts to get CCS (9-4) going against Notre Dame (8-8).
Moore scored 13 points in the first quarter and showcased her smooth ability to drive and finish with her left hand. Freshman guard Aubriyanna Camp added 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers in the victory.
CCS led 59-47 with 2:10 to play after Moore's 3 from the left corner, but Notre Dame fought back valiantly, with Callie McCormick drilling two of her four 3-pointers late.
Dayonna Perryman's last-second 3 for the Lady Fighting Irish, taken from well beyond the top of the arc, came just before the final horn sounded. Perryman finished with 17 points, while teammate Violet Wright scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.