Tennessee High Girls' Season Ends with Loss to Patriots

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – They scrapped; they clawed.

They snagged rebounds; they got fortunate breaks.

They hit clutch shots; they even tied things up.

But through it all, the Vikings could never do one crucial thing late in a tight game Monday night: Lead.

Tennessee High’s girls basketball season ended Monday at Morristown East High School in the regional semifinals with an excruciatingly close 49-48 loss to Jefferson County.

Despite numerous opportunities – including a shot in the waning seconds – the Vikings (23-9) were never able to wrestle the lead from the Patriots (22-7) after falling behind midway through the second quarter.

“The pressure’s off when you’ve got the lead and we never could get over the hump,” said Vikings coach Barry Wade. “We always felt that pressure when we were behind.”

The Vikings never trailed by more than six after falling behind, but weren’t able to draw even with the Patriots until a Rachel Huneycutt shot tied the game at 41 with 3:24 remaining.

The Patriots quickly scored on their next possession to reclaim the advantage. Then, after an Ice Brown free throw pulled Tennessee back within one, Jefferson County overcame a loose ball, a block and a missed shot to stretch the possession for more than a minute.

After Whitney Kyle hit 1-of-2 free throws for the Patriots, guard Haley Nelson pulled off a play Blakeley Burleson had made twice recently for the Vikings, slipping in for a crucial offensive rebound.

Nelson, who led all scorers with 18 points and tormented the Vikings on both ends of the court, was fouled and made both free throws, leaving Tennessee High behind 46-42 with only one minute left on the clock.

Still, though, the Vikings weren’t done.

The Patriots kept missing free throws and a banked-in Brown 3-pointer pulled the Vikings within two with 25 seconds left, 47-45.

After Jefferson County’s other standout guard, Lacy Miller, who scored 14 points, hit only 1-of-2 free throws, Burleson drained a 3-pointer to the game at 48 with 15 seconds left.

“We were able to keep that momentum right up until the end when they hit that 3, the momentum shifted big time when they tied the game,” said Patriots coach Bo Lewis. “And I looked at my girls’ faces, just to see how they were reacting to that shot, and they didn’t put their heads down.”

Nelson got the in-bounds pass and steamed up the left sideline where she and Burleson collided near midcourt. Burleson was whistled for the block – and her fifth foul.

Nelson managed to hit only one free throw again, but that proved to be enough.

With Burleson on the bench and only six seconds remaining, Wade put the ball in the hands of his stellar freshman point guard Ashlee Mitchell, who had been able to drive the ball well all night. Mitchell, though, was cut off and she passed the ball to sophomore backup guard Keely Easterling, who had hit four 3-pointers, for an open look from long range.

But Easterling couldn’t hit No. 5, and the game ended with Mitchell fighting through a clutch of Patriot defenders to get off a putback underneath the goal.

“We had our chances to win tonight,” Wade said. “We just didn’t make some shots.”

The Vikings played their usual tough defense for most of the night, but Nelson and Miller were able to break down the press and handle Tennessee High’s in-your-face perimeter guarding.

Tennessee High’s offense struggled for most of the night, recording only eight made field goals through the first three quarters.

Lewis said he was proud of his team for matching the Vikings’ defensive intensity.

“They finally have bought into the belief that they can rebound and go in there and be scrappy like we want them to be,” he said.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Tennessee High’s future looks bright. Brown was the only senior who played regular minutes on this year’s team and Wade said Monday’s setback will be put to good use until next March.

“Tonight was bittersweet,” Wade said. “It was bitter because we didn’t win, but it was sweet because we got a revenge factor.

“We got a game to get back to now.”