CLASS AA SECTIONALSMcMINN CENTRAL 57, GRUNDY COUNTY 48Grundy County 6 10 17 15 -- 48McMinn Central 17 7 22 11 -- 57Grundy County (48) -- Meeks 3, Cleek 2, Davis 4, Arbuckle, Chelsey Wiseman 14, Bramhall, Stiefel, Haley Coffelt 13, Sons 6.McMinn Central (57) -- Morrow 6, S. Williams 7, Truelove, P. Williams 5, Casteel 1, Young 8, Coleman, Elizabeth Masengil 23, Trentham 4, Cowart, Myers 3, Pirkle.3-point goals: Grundy 3 (Sons 2, Meeks); McMinn Central 6 (Morrow 2, S. Williams 2, Young, Myers). Other highlights: Coffelt 12 r, 3 b; Davis 3 a (GC); Masengil 12 r, 3 s; Peyton Williams 3 s (MC). Records: McMinn Central 25-7; Grundy 23-10.LIVINGSTON 71, EAST HAMILTON 43East Hamilton 12 5 8 18 -- 43Livingston 10 15 15 31 -- 71East Hamilton (43) -- Tiffany Lewis 13, Brenn Moon 12, Ivans 6, Newton 6, Dixon 4, Scott 1, Coddle 1, K. Moon, McElvin, Zachary, Belle.Livingston Academy (71) -- Cindy Staggs 19, Abby Miller 18, Marley Sells 14, Meadows 8, Cravens 4, Daily 3, Winningham 3, Williams 1, Reeder 1.3-point goals: East Hamilton 2 (Lewis, B. Moon); Livingston Academy 4 (Staggs 3, Miller).Records: Livingston 32-3; East Hamilton 23-10.
ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. -- As the McMinn Central student section rushed the court after the Chargerettes defeated Grundy County to advance to the Class AA girls' basketball state tournament, the players looked and shook hands with the Lady Yellow Jackets.
What was clear at that moment was simple: We're happy, but the journey isn't over yet.
Led by Miss Basketball finalist Elizabeth Masengil's 23 points and 12 rebounds, the Chargerettes grinded out a 57-48 sectional victory to get the opportunity to defend their state championship. They will find out their quarterfinal opponent in a blind draw this afternoon.
McMinn Central (25-7) forced 22 turnovers and hit 19 of 27 free throws. Its depth was huge in the contest, as 11 players received playing time.
Grundy played nine, but its leading scorer, Chelsey Wiseman, spent considerable time on the bench in foul trouble, getting her third foul in the second quarter. She scored the Lady Yellow Jackets' first nine points of the third quarter but was whistled for her fourth at the 5:56 mark of the period.
She re-entered in the fourth quarter but fouled out a minute and a half in.
"That just killed us in all aspects of the game," Grundy coach Julie Bloomquist said. "She's our leader and we depend on our scoring."
The Chargerettes had multiple players in foul trouble as well, with both Masengil and Elizabeth Trentham eventually fouling out. Their losses weren't quite as vital as Wiseman's, though, as other players continued to step up for the hosts.
"Any time you're in foul trouble, it's discouraging, but you have to feel more relaxed seeing 24 [Wiseman] over there in foul trouble, too," McMinn Central coach Johnny Morgan said. "It comes down to who has played more people, and I feel like we've played more than anybody else in the state; that's what it comes down to."
The Chargerettes built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but 3-pointers by Haley Coffelt and Haley Sons trimmed the lead to nine. The Lady Yellow Jackets continued to battle and cut the lead to 51-44 on a putback by Coffelt with 1:28 remaining, but the Chargerettes were 6-for-8 at the line the rest of the way.
"No matter how many runs Grundy made, my group wasn't affected," Morgan said. "We didn't let one mistake lead to another, and I thought that was a big difference. Our goal is to play the best that we can, and if that leads to another game, that's great.
"No matter the stakes, I want to win every game."
Wiseman led the Lady Yellow Jackets (23-10) with 14 points, while Coffelt added 13 plus 12 rebounds and three blocks.
"I'm proud of the girls for continuing to battle," Bloomquist said. "We made some runs and never gave up.
"It's been a great season for the girls; we expected to get here and never had any doubt. I just wish we could have taken it a little further."
n Livingston Academy 71, East Hamilton 43: At Livingston, the Lady Wildcats took charge in the second quarter and breezed in the second half to their 32nd win in 35 games. Cindy Staggs and Abby Miller scored 19 and 18 points for Livingston, while Tiffany Lewis and Brenn Moon scored 13 and 12 for the Lady Hurricanes (23-10).