I wanted to empower them that it was their choice to make how they were going to respond in the second half. Like I said, adversity every day, it was something they’ve been used to doing all day and they stepped up and put their foot on the gas.”

Webb coach Matthew Shewmake

COOKEVILLE — Beating a team three times a season is tough on any team. Playing a team a fourth time for a state championship can be even tougher.
While the first half of Saturday’s Division II Class A state championship went anything but according to plan for Webb, the Lady Feet rallied for 48 second-half points and won their second-straight state title, beating MTCS (25-10) for the fourth time this season, 68-48.
Having struggled to shoot in the first half and battling a slew of fouls, Lady Feet coach Matthew Shewmake’s halftime message to his team was simple—the Lady Feet were in complete control of the game’s outcome.
Message received.
“We have higher expectations for ourselves than anyone else can put on us and we weren’t living up to those. We weren’t playing like we should and they (Webb) were in complete control to change that and it was on them,” he said.
“I wanted to empower them that it was their choice to make how they were going to respond in the second half. Like I said, adversity every day, it was something they’ve been used to doing all day and they stepped up and put their foot on the gas.”
The first half was a titanic struggle for both teams shooting.
MTCS went just 8-of-26 attempts from the floor, while Webb didn’t fare much better, shooting just 30% in the first half.
Webb also went just 5-for-12 from the free throw line in the first half.
The lone bright spot for Webb was Bree Robinson, who spurred the Lady Feet offense by connecting on 3-of-5 3-pointers in the first half.
Of Webb’s 20 first-half points, Robinson led the way with 11 and was the only player at that point to reach double figures.
“Bree has been doing that all year. Any time we’ve had a lull or needed a bucket, she’s stepped up and done it. Any time the other team has a good player and we need to count on someone to guard her one-on-one, Bree does it,” Shewmake said.
MTCS made it interesting just before the half and cut the Lady Feet lead to one point following a 3-point buzzer beater by Sydney Cooper.
“I know the nerves were running high. We’re just limping through it and we make a little run and then the kid made a nice shot to cut it to one before the half. We were kind of playing cat and mouse with them, just trying to figure out what they’re going to do and what we’re going to do,” Shewmake said.
Even with the last-second score by the Lady Cougars, Robinson continued her consistency on the offensive end of the court into the second half and during a 58-second stretch in the third quarter, rattled off eight-straight points to help the Lady Feet break the game open with a 12-point lead.
MTCS never truly threatened again.
Webb went on to extend its lead to as many as 25 points late in the fourth quarter.
After shooting just 30% in the first half, Webb finished the game shooting 51.1% from the floor and was 17-of-32 at the line.
MTCS never could answer Webb’s defensive effort in the second half and finished shooting just 18-of-55 for 32.7% on the night.
Four Lady Feet reached double figures in Saturday’s state championship, with Robinson’s 19 points leading all scorers.
Tournament MVP Tatianna Stovall scored 14 points, while Angelica Velez and Lauren Rust added 13 and 12, respectively.
Webb’s depth proved invaluable in the tournament. During the semifinals, it was Bre’aria Cannon and Aalyah Del Rosario that gave Webb big minutes and led the team in the scoring column.
During the championship game, Robinson and Stovall came through in the clutch for the Lady Feet.
“We talked about that every day at practice all through the year that it’s going to be somebody different each night and that’s OK. Today it was Tatianna and Bree and yesterday it was Bre’aria Cannon and Aallyah,” Shewmake said.
For MTCS, Jailyn Banks was the top-scorer as she finished with 16 points.
Autumn Davis and Sarah Wisniowski added 12 and 10, respectively.
Saturday’s championship marked the second for the Webb School in as many years, although last year’s roster looked significantly different from this year’s championship team.
“This group is different. People don’t understand what practice is every day and what the negative chatter that went on. They’re mentally tough and they battled,” Shewmake said.
Webb finishes the season with a 31-6 overall record.

Webb 11 9 23 25 — 68
MTCS 13 6 9 20 — 48

Webb: Bree Robinson 19, Tatianna Stovall 14, Angelica Velez 13, Lauren Rust 12, Aalyah Del Rosario 4, Aurora Sanchez-Almon 2, Rhema Collins 2, Bre’aria Cannon 2.
MTCS: Jailyn Banks 16, Autumn Davis 12, Sarah Wisniowski 10, Anna Clay Shirley 7, Sydney Cooper 3.
3-Point goals: Webb (5): Robinson 5; MTCS (7): Davis 2, Wisniowski 2, Cooper, Banks, Shirley.
Halftime score: Webb 20, MTCS 19.