Boone, Science Hill to meet in Hardee's girls final

JONESBOROUGH — Daniel Boone and Science Hill advanced to the girls' championship of the 36th annual Hardee's Classic at David Crockett High School. Boone captured a 52-44 win over Cocke County in an early season showdown. Science Hill defeated homestanding Crockett 55-40 in Wednesday's late game. In the first semifinal, Andrea Flores scored 18 points to lead the Lady 'Blazers to the victory. Laney Britton came through with 12 points. Aaliyah Story had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, along with three blocks and two steals on the defensive end. Daniel Boone (4-0) successfully employed a zone defense to slow down Cocke County's offense. Blakelyn Clevenger with 11 points and Ellie Proffitt with 10 were the only players for the Lady Red (4-1) to reach double digits. "They're very patient and run a lot of sets. We thought it'd be best to make them shoot outside," Boone coach John Good said. "Obviously, Aaliyah allows us to run different offenses and defenses. Then, the other kids like (Lemiah) Rosenbaum got a big rebound and put-back, and Sidney (Kester) was bouncing around down there. Everybody bought into their roles. It was fun to watch." The first half was a back-and-forth affair, highlighted by big runs. The Lady 'Blazers had the early 6-2 lead, but the Lady Red came back with the next 10 points. Boone had an even bigger surge with the next 15 points and a 23-14 lead at the half. Boone was able to fend off Cocke County challenges to hold a 37-26 advantage after three quarters. Ella Wilson drained three big 3-point shots in the 15-0 run that gave Boone the lead it never relinquished. "The thing I liked about that is we found her," Good said. "She hit one, we found her and she hit another. We did the same with Laney. We had a next-shot mentality." With Wilson's teammates getting her the ball, she was ready to take advantage of the opportunities. They also had plenty of motivation against a Cocke County team which has reached two straight Class 3A state tournaments. "From the second I got in the gym this morning, I knew this was a big game and my team was counting on me to make big shots," Wilson said. "When I had the opportunity to take them, I shot them with confidence and they went in." Science Hill 55, David Crockett 40 Audrey Adams posted a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Lady 'Toppers (2-1) over the Lady Pioneers (1-1) in the second semifinal. Science Hill held Crockett to just three points in the second quarter to take a 30-11 lead at halftime. "I'm really proud of our team. We were over everything in practice and made sure our defense was perfect," Adams said. "Our offense is in the works, but it's getting better. I worked the triangle and tried to get open opportunities." Science Hill was balanced with nine points from Khloe Sommers, eight from Allie Conner and seven from Sarenity Phillipps. Aeriyan Fleenor grabbed 10 rebounds. "I told the girls not everybody gets to play for a chance at a championship. We did that tonight and were successful," Lady 'Toppers coach Beau Hauldren said. "This is the first time that Science Hill girls basketball has been in this tournament and to get to play in the championship is a big deal." David Crockett's Kayleigh Doner led all scorers with 23 points. Rylee Waldrop was next for the Pioneers with five. Crockett coach Latisha Belcher liked the effort, just not the execution from her young team. "I liked how we didn't give up," Belcher said. "I had to have a talk with them (at halftime) and remind them, they're Pioneers and Pioneers don't quit. We dug ourselves a hole, but we weren't going to quit." Tri-Cities Christian 52, Providence Academy 40 Up 21-19 after two quarters, the Lady Eagles pulled away in the second half. Ella Jaworski totaled 17 points and Emma Jaworski ended with 14 for Tri-Cities. Riah Hale was the top producer for Providence with 13 points. Claire Gilmer added nine points for the Lady Knights. Volunteer 70, Johnson County 35 Rylee Smith had 15 points, including three shots from 3-point range, to lead the Lady Falcons over the Lady Longhorns in Wednesday's opener. Elizabeth Byington was right behind her with 14 points for Volunteer. Presley Davis hit four shots from 3-point range to score 12. Audrey Shaw scored 14 points to lead Johnson County. MacKenzie McClain was the next high scorer with seven.