SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – The Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes overcame an early 13-3 deficit to take down the visiting Tullahoma Lady Wildcats, 46-41, in the second meeting of the “Battle of Highway 41-A” on Tuesday night inside of Rick Insell Gymnasium.

Lanaya Young scored a game-high 22 points to lead the way for the Eaglettes as the only scorer to reach double-figures, but defense was the name of the game for Shelbyville and their head coach, Keshia Jarrett. Jarrett’s high energy on the sidelines was infectious, helping the hosts force 14 Tullahoma turnovers and countless other rushed shot attempts that led to fastbreak opportunities as they outscored the visitors, 24-17, in the second half. 

For the Lady Wildcats, McLayne Bobo was the only one to score in double-digits, finishing with 16 points. Lizzy Sharpton chipped in with seven points, all of which came in the first half.

Both teams got to the free throw line often, but they both struggled immensely once they got there. Tullahoma shot 17/28 while Shelbyville finished just under 50%, shooting just 14/30 at the charity stripe despite holding on to win. 

After falling behind by 10 points early on, Shelbyville roared back, going on an extended 14-4 run that lasted into the second quarter after Tullahoma held a slim advantage, 15-11, at the end of the opening period of play. 

In the second quarter, Shelbyville began to assert themselves on both ends, outscoring the Lady ‘Cats, 11-9, in the period behind Young’s eight points. Bobo, not to be outdone, put in six points of her own to send Tullahoma into the halftime locker room with a 24-22 lead.

Heading into the third quarter, the Eaglettes defense took over, turning stops into runouts and easy baskets on the offensive end. Shelbyville outscored Tullahoma, 17-8, in the quarter, punctuated by a Lanaya Young buzzer-beating three-pointer to cap off the dominant period of play and give the hosts a 39-32 lead going into the final frame.

Tullahoma actually outscored Shelbyville in the fourth quarter, 9-7, as the Eaglettes continued to struggle at the free throw line, connecting on just 5/16 attempts at the charity stripe to leave the door open for the Lady ‘Cats. In the end, Tullahoma just could not generate enough clean looks against the Eaglettes’ tenacious defense, and Shelbyville would hold on to win, 46-41. 

Tullahoma falls to 6-4 on the season.

Shelbyville Central improves to 6-5 overall. They are scheduled to take on Culleoka and Centennial in the Classic at Marshall County in Lewisburg, TN, on Thursday and Friday, respectively.