Lady Jackets halted by perennial power

The Trousdale County High School girls basketball team saw their 2020-23 season come to a close on Friday evening with a 57-36 loss to visiting Clarkrange in the Region 4-A Tournament quarterfinals.

The hosts got off to a slow start as they fell behind 8-0, then trailed 21-3 in the opening period.

The Lady Jackets pulled to within 10 points at 30-20 in the second quarter before falling behind by 13 at the half. Any chance of a comeback was squandered in the third quarter when they went scoreless while committing 10 turnovers and committing four fouls.

The Lady Buffaloes were hot from long range as they bagged 12 three-pointers, while the Lady Jackets could muster only four. “Clarkrange is a good team, and the girls competed in spurts and showed how good we can be at times,” TCHS head coach Paige McKinney said. “I am so proud of these girls. They have worked hard all year, and we made huge strides this season.”

Sophomore Janae Aponte netted 10 points, all of which came in the first half. Classmate Kayleigh Dunn followed with seven points, and freshman Cayden Ray had five. Braylee Potts and Jazmyne Dunn each added four points. Emma Elmore, Ella Elmore, and Charlee Dixon rounded out the scoring with three, two, and one points, respectively.

The Lady Jackets concluded their season with a 13-18 overall record and went 9-1 during the regular-season District 8-1A play, earning the No. 1 seed entering into the tournament.

Two seniors will leave the program in Dixon and Elise Satterfield.

“We are returning 11 out of the 13 players from our current roster and all five starters’ ” McKinney said. “We will continue to work hard and make more strides as individuals and as a team. We have a bright future, and our entire coaching staff is pumped about how high the ceiling is for this team.”

Clarkrange — which has won eight state championships — upset District 7-1A Tournament champion Clay County in Monday evening’s regional semifinal round to advance to the regional championship game. The Lady Buffaloes were slated to face Pickett County in Wednesday evening’s championship game.