Yes, we can, Eaglettes show doubters with win

Shelbyville Central's girls continue to make believers out of naysayers.

After claiming the District 8-AAA tournament championship earlier in the week, the Eaglettes advanced to the Region 4-AAA semifinals with a 54-45 win over visiting Siegel on Friday night.

Shelbyville, the only girls team remaining from District 8-AAA, faces Blackman on Monday night at 6 in an elimination game at SCHS Gym. A win will put the Eaglettes in the championship Wednesday night as well as guarantee a spot in the sectionals Saturday night.

"Has this team improved from the first of the season or what? Right now this team really wants this and they are willing to put what we're doing in this tournament at the top of their priority list," Eaglette coach Lynn Burkey said.

"At the beginning of the season there was not many people who gave us a chance to get to the region semifinals and now we're sitting right there and that's a tribute to our program and to the girls on this team."

A balanced scoring attack and aggressive defense helped pave the way as three players scored in double figures while the Eaglette defenders caused 18 Lady Star turnovers and collected eight steals.

Janie Graves led the way with 16 points. She connected on 5-of-8 shots from the field and cashed in on 5-of-6 free throws. She also led the team in rebounds with five while adding a pair of steals and blocked shots.

Kelsie Smith pitched in 14 points, going 6-of-7 from the field, with Callisha Johnson adding 11 tallies.

Shanice Cason's 16 points led Siegel.

The Lady Stars (18-11) jumped out to a 6-2 lead but the Eaglettes (18-11) closed out the first quarter with a 8-1 run to go up 10-7, then scored eight straight points at the start of the second stanza on the way to a 21-16 halftime lead.

Siegel tied the game at 30-all off a 3-pointer by Sarah Donkin then took a 32-30 advantage when Imani Chatman scored at the 2:12 mark of the third quarter.

That was the Lady Stars' last lead as Shelbyville went on a 8-0 run to post a 38-32 lead going into the fourth quarter, then outscored their opponent 16-14 over the final eight minutes.

"We really played great defense in the first half holding them to only 16 points but I have to give Siegel credit, they came out and really turned it up in the second half," Burkey said. "They came back and took the lead at one point in the third quarter but we really responded well after that. That is the biggest difference in this team compared to earlier in the season. When Siegel regained the lead, that's when we made a big push."

Blackman, who came from behind to eliminate Lincoln County 64-51 Friday, claimed a pair of regular-season wins over the Eaglettes, 55-36 in Shelbyville and 52-47 at home.

"Blackman has a very good basketball team and have some similarities with Siegel," Burkey said. "They have a great point guard in Shelby Campbell and they are big and physical in the paint. This is the region semifinals and all the weak sisters are home. We've got to bring our 'A' game and we're playing the best basketball we've played all season and I just like our chances."

On the other side of the bracket, La Vergne rolled past Lawrence County 51-43 while Riverdale claimed a 79-69 victory over Columbia.

La Vergne meets Riverdale in the nightcap Monday at 7:30.