HIGH SCHOOL

Oakland Middle girls stay calm, win county championship

Dean Fox
For The DNJ
Stewarts Creek's Zhordan Shannon (right) drives around Oakland Middle's Ella Riley during Thursday's league title game.

When the Oakland Middle School girls' basketball team saw what was a 15-point lead in the first half cut to two, the Chargers didn't panic.

That's a big reason they can call themselves county champions.

Oakland secured the title with big plays down the stretch en route to a 46-34 victory over Stewarts Creek in the championship game of the Rutherford County Middle School tournament, hosted by Siegel Middle.

"These girls are so mature for where they are," coach Candace Spurlock said. "We just talked about what it takes to be a champion: you've got to big-time plays and make big-time stops."

Oakland led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter and threatened to put the game early thanks to a run that put it up 23-8. But the Falcons made a run that cut the margin to 25-15 by halftime and then got eventually cut the deficit to 31-29 going into the last quarter.

But a Claira McGowan 3-pointer highlighted a 6-0 run to start the period. Stewarts Creek got back within 37-33, but Oakland scored the next five points on free throws to take control.

Oakland Middle's Claira McGowan surveys the floor during Thursday's league title game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McGowan and Nicole Egeruoh had 19 and 15, respectively, for a team that overcome a coach who had lost her voice. That didn't seem to bother the Chargers.

"We're so in tune and so coachable," Spurlock said. "They can look at my hand signals and know what I'm saying."

Stewarts Creek was led by sisters Zhordan and Zyion Shannon, who had 16 and 13 points, respectively.

 

 

"You can't deny the sister-sister thing," Stewarts Creek coach Sarah Connifey said. "It's as close to twins as you can get. They play very well together."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: McGowan, Egeruoh, Teriana Covington (Oakland), Zhordan Shannon, Ashari Leonard (Stewarts Creek), Claire Czajkowski (Siegel), Iyana Moore (Blackman), Kaylianna Griffin-Jones (Rockvale), Acacia Hayes (Christiana), Mariah Edmonds (Rock Springs), Amaria Patton (La Vergne), Shaiyana Booker (Whitworth-Buchanan), Kathryn Hays (Central)