By Michael Lindsay
Points were at a premium Wednesday night in Gallatin as the York Institute Dragonettes defeated Smith County in the Region 3-2A championship game, 30-18.
“We overcame ourselves and Smith County’s defense,” said York head coach Michael Green. “They did a good job defending us like they have all season. We played pretty well defensively.”
York’s victory is their fourth of the season over Smith County, who they defeated twice in the regular season and in the District 5-2A championship last week.
“The problem for me is should I try anything different,” said Green. “Let’s not get cute. If they want to slow it down, we have to make sure we can beat them at that game, too.”
Sophomore forward Emma Cooper was named Region 3-2A tournament MVP as she scored 12 points in the championship game. Smith County was led by 6 from Merissa Spivey.
“She hit her foul shots, and that’s huge in a low-scoring game like that,” said Green. “She had a good game against Jackson County, too. She’s deserving of it and maybe that will give her some confidence.”
The Dragonettes held a 6-5 lead after the first quarter. York opened the second quarter with three-pointers from Reese Beaty and Emma Pile to take a 12-5 lead with 2:39 remaining in the second period. Smith County battled within one possession by halftime as the Lady Owls trailed 13-10 at the break.
A Cooper and-one with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter gave the Dragonettes an 18-12 lead before the Lady Owls scored the quarter’s final six points, including a Dacey Claywell transition layup with 5 second remaining, to tie the game at 18 points each entering the fourth quarter.
The final basket of the third quarter would be Smith County’s last points of the game as York Institute shut out the Lady Owls for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
The Dragonettes tacked on 12 points in the final frame, including a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line by Cooper and Raylee Werner, to win by a 30-18 final score.
York Institute’s victory clinches a home game with a state tournament berth on the line for Saturday’s Class 2A sectional contest against Pearl Cohn.
“Any time you can play at home, you want to,” said Green. “Hopefully we’ll have a lot of fans pack the place and there will be no excuses. Hopefully we can show up and make it to the state tournament.”
Pearl Cohn at York Institute is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.
