SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – The 3-seed Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes (15-10, 6-4) were unable to keep up with the 2-seed Lincoln County Lady Falcons (22-5, 8-2) in the District 9-AAAA Semifinal on Saturday inside of Rick Insell Gymnasium, 64-48.

Lincoln County held a 22-point lead at the end of the third quarter thanks to four different players scoring in double-figures.

Abby Bryan led the way with a game-high 19 points to lead all scorers. Alyssa Petty scored 15 points, Grasen Tipps had 12, and Molly Brown chipped in with 11 of her own.

For Shelbyville, Janiya Leslie put in a team-high 18 points, but she was the only one to score in double-figures. Jada Berry finished with nine points, and Lanaya Young was held to just seven points. 

Lincoln County jumped out to a 20-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Falcons connected on nine three-pointers in total with four of them coming in the opening period. Tipps tacked on an old-fashioned three-point play as well.

In the second period, the Lady Falcons extended their lead to 37-20 going into the halftime locker room. They connected on another pair of triples, and continued to make it difficult for the Eaglettes to find anything on the offensive end. 

Coming out for the second half, Shelbyville was outscored 17-12 as Lincoln County’s lead swelled to 54-32 entering the final frame. The Lady Falcons connected on another pair of three-pointers in the third quarter, and they continued to find their way to the line as well, shooting 35 free throws as a team for the game.

In the fourth quarter, the result was a formality, but the Eaglettes kept fighting, outscoring Lincoln County 16-10 to reach the final score of 64-48. 

Lincoln County advances to the Championship game against unbeaten Coffee County on Monday.

Shelbyville Central will play in the 3rd place game on Monday night at 6:00 p.m. against Warren County.