SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – The Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes (6-15, 0-4) were unable to capitalize at the free throw line against District 6-AAAA foe, Warren County (11-9, 0-4), suffering a 49-45 defeat in overtime at the Eagles’ Nest on Friday night.

Jada Berry led the way for Shelbyville in an inspired effort with a team-high 20 points, but she was the only Eaglette to reach double-figures. Janiya Leslie added eight points, but the hosts shot just 9-of-19 at the free throw line as a team and could not connect on a single three-pointer.

Jada Berry (40) shoots a free throw in the second half of Shelbyville's OT loss against Warren County. Berry scored a team-high 20 points against the Pioneers.

T-G Staff Photo - Noah Maddox

Meanwhile, the Pioneers’ Trinity Reynolds was borderline unstoppable, finishing with a game-high 26 points and shooting 9-of-11 at the charity stripe. Brynlee Chisam added a pair of three-pointers, including a massive connection in the extra session, chipping in with 11 points for the visitors. Warren County finished 17-of-22 at the line as a team, and they managed to connect on four three-pointers on the night.

The game was extremely competitive from the opening tip, and former Eaglettes’ Head Coach Kyle Turnham’s squad held a slim 8-7 lead at the end of the opening period. In the second quarter, Berry began to take over for Shelbyville, scoring nine of the Eaglettes’ 11 points to give the hosts an 18-16 lead heading into the halftime locker room. 

Coming out for the second half, Berry was held to just a single free throw, allowing the Pioneers to outscore Shelbyville, 12-9, and take a 28-27 lead going into the final frame. Reynolds and Chisam combined for all 12 of Warren County’s third quarter points, punctuated by a Chisam buzzer-beating triple to end the period. Meanwhile, Leslie led the hosts with four points in the third.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams entered the final two minutes tied up at 34 when Kenley Patton scored her first bucket since the opening quarter on a putback. After the Pioneers re-took a two-point lead, Berry tied the game at 36 with 1:40 remaining before Leslie went coast-to-coast off of a rebound to put Shelbyville in front, 38-36, with 1:20 to go. 

On the ensuing Warren County possession, Reynolds managed to find her way to the free throw line to tie things up again at 38 with 1:09 left. Shelbyville was unable to score on its next trip, and then the visitors took a 39-38 lead with 20 seconds remaining when Aubrey Oleksik split a pair of free throws.

Coming out of a Shelbyville timeout, Berry was fouled on a putback attempt of a missed Leslie layup with less than 10 seconds to go. However, Berry only managed to split the pair of free throws, sending the game into overtime tied at 39. 

In the extra session, both teams continued to struggle offensively, leading to Berry once again at the free throw line. With 1:29 remaining and her team down by two points, 43-41, Berry calmly sank both free throws to tie the game. However, following a split pair of free throws by the Pioneers, the visitors quickly regained possession with a one-point lead, finding Chisam in the corner for the a dagger three-pointer with 44.8 seconds left on the clock. Chisam’s only bucket of the overtime gave Warren County a 47-43 lead, and the Pioneers held on to win by that same margin, 49-45, despite Berry scoring all six points for Shelbyville in the extra period. 

The Eaglettes fall to 6-15 overall. Shelbyville’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday at Coffee County, weather permitting, with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m.

SHELBYVILLE: Berry 20, Leslie 8, J. Frazier 6, Patton 5, McFarland 4, Young 2.

WARREN COUNTY: Reynolds 26 (1), Chisam 11 (2), Steakley 6 (1), Oleksik 3, Porter 3.