If you wanted to see a possible preview of the District 6-AA girls basketball finals, then maybe you should have been at Red Bank’s Susan Ingram Thurman Gymnasium Friday evening.
It was a clash between the Signal Mountain Lady Eagles and the Red Bank Lady Lions. Both entered the game with 2-0 records in district play, so first place was on the line for the winner.
That honor goes to Red Bank after rallying for a 46-45 victory in a game that could have gone either way.
Red Bank is now 6-1 overall and 3-0 in 6-AA while Signal Mountain is 5-5 overall and 2-1 in the district.
Signal Mountain was the better team in the first half when a 13-0 run from the second half of the first quarter until the first half of the second quarter gave them a seemingly-comfortable and commanding 22-10.
The Lady Lions never quit battling and got a 3 from the wing by Ashley Ware at the end of the second stanza to get Red Bank within three at 26-23 with two quarters remaining.
Red Bank made several adjustments during that important halftime break and the difference was noticeable as they took the lead with 1:27 left in the third stanza and never trailed again.
Nobody was any more relieved or any happier than Red Bank coach Bailey McGinnis when the final horn sounded and her girls were ahead.
“We’ve knew it was a big game and I’ve had this date circled on my calendar since the district championship game last season,” McGinnis said after exiting a jubilant Red Bank dressing room.
“We’ve had a great week of practice, but we knew we had to be ready to play tonight. We didn’t play so well in the first half, but we just had to weather the storm and I feel like we did just that. We got killed on the boards in the first half as they had second shot after second shot, but these girls really wanted it tonight.
“It’s all about how you finish in a sport like basketball. I think we may have wanted it more, but this game could have gone either way. I just knew we couldn’t fold under their pressure if we were going to have a chance at winning. We cut that 12 point lead down to three by halftime and it was all about momentum.
“It was a great game and I’m just thankful we came out on top,”she added.
Signal Mountain coach Kendra Bell, herself a great player for Red Bank back in the day, was really disappointed in her team’s lack of offensive execution, especially in the second half when the outcome was still hanging in the balance.
“I don’t think we ran an offensive formation all game long as these girls are still trying to do it their way,” Bell fumed shortly after the game ended.
“We missed a ton of easy shots and we just quit rebounding in the second half, but we just half to execute on offense and we didn’t. We’re playing in spurts these days and that hurt late. This has turned into a pretty good rivalry, but I’m not the least bit pleased with how we played tonight. We have to find ways to correct those mistakes,” Bell nodded.
Zanobia Pratt sank two free throws with 4:08 showing in the first quarter to give Red Bank a 10-9 lead. By the time Shelby Romans scored on a layup with 4:04 left in the second stanza, Signal Mountain had scored 13 straight points and were ahead 22-10.
The Lady Lions kept battling and chipping away for the remainder of the half. They got a nice boost when Ware swished a jumper from the corner just ahead of the halftime buzzer as that shot shifted the momentum to Red Bank’s side and gave the Lady Lions confidence they might have a chance to come back.
Raijoria Bell sank a 3 from the baseline with 1:27 left in the third quarter to put Red Bank ahead 35-32 and the margin was one with eight minutes left.
Bailey Lee scored on a layup just inside the final minute to put Red Bank ahead 46-42. Jaylah Hardy sank two free throws with 43.9 seconds left to get the Lady Eagles within 46-44.
Olivia Koontz went to the free throw line with 10.8 seconds left and a chance to knot the score, but she missed the first before making the second to keep the Lady Lions up by a point.
Red Bank was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock before anything else happened to change the outcome.
Romans scored 14 points and was one of three Red Bank players in double figures. Ware followed with 11 while Lee chipped in with 10.
Koontz had 22 points to lead Signal Mountain after getting 14 in the first half. Lamiah Walker was next with 15.
Signal Mountain had an unofficial 41-33 advantage on the boards after dominating the first half by 22-11.
Koontz and Walker both had 11 while L.P. Sitton snagged nine for the Lady Eagles. Lee had 11 for Red Bank while Arteya Scott claimed six.
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 15 11 8 11 -- 45
RED BANK 10 13 12 11 -- 46
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN (45) – Hardy 4, Riese, Sitton, McGann 2, Walker 15, McCarter 2, Koontz 22.
RED BANK (46) – Roberts 1, Pratt 4, Washington 2, Romans 14, Ware 11, Scott 1, Bowens, Bell 3, Lee 10.
3-POINT GOALS: Signal Mountain none; Red Bank 4 (Romans 2, Ware, Bell).
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)