COALMONT, Tenn. – The 4-seed Community Viqueens (13-17, 4-5) survived a furious rally from the 3-seed Grundy County Lady Yellow Jackets, 55-54, on Saturday night to clinch third-place in District 9-AA going into the Region 5-AA Tournament. 

The Viqueens took the lead for good about halfway through the second quarter, but Grundy County never gave up, rallying behind an effective full-court press and eventually ending up with the final possession down by just one point following a Community turnover with just over three seconds left. Unfortunately for the hosts, Kallie Parson’s three-point attempt clanked off to the right of the rim, and the Viqueens escaped with a much-needed victory. 

Anna Haskins led the way for the Viqueens, tying for the game-high with 19 points, all coming in the first three quarters. Alyssa White put in 18 points of her own while freshman Mattie Maxey stepped up and chipped in with 10 points, including going 7-8 from the free-throw line. 

For Grundy County, Kasadee Crabtree, who eventually fouled out, led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 19 points of her own, equaling Haskins. Paron was the only other double-digit scorer, finishing with 10 points on the night. 

To start, both teams went back and forth with Crabtree leading all scorers with six points. Despite her strong start, Community actually ended the opening period with a one-point lead, 11-10.

Grundy County opened the second quarter on a mini-run of their own before Community’s Maxey connected on the first of three Viqueen triples. All three came in the second quarter, as Anna Haskins led all scorers with nine points in the period after connecting on a pair of threes. Community took a 30-24 lead going into the halftime locker room after outscoring Grundy County, 19-14, sparked by a technical foul called on Head Coach Brittany Woodlee after a non-call on a three-point attempt.

Coming out for the second half, Community continued to increase their lead, outscoring the Lady Jackets, 15-11, to take a commanding 45-35 lead going into the final frame. 

In the fourth quarter, Grundy County turned up the heat defensively, forcing a multitude of Viqueen turnovers as the clock continued to tick towards zero. Crabtree, after not scoring since early in the second quarter, led all scorers with 10 points in the period, but in the end it was not enough. Community went a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe in the second half and finished an impressive 18-22 from the line on the night as a whole. Meanwhile, Grundy County shot just 50% from the line (10-20) and after Paron’s three-pointer clanked off the rim, the Viqueens could celebrate a hard-fought 55-54 win to end their District 9-AA campaign. 

Community is scheduled to travel to Loretto on Friday with tip-off coming at 7:00 p.m. after the Lady Mustangs were upset by Summertown, 39-31, in the District 10-AA Championship game on Saturday night.