Foiled again

Slideshow: State Basketball Championships

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For the fourth consecutive year, Cleveland ended a girls’ state-tournament basketball run without advancing to the championship game.

The third-ranked Lady Blue Raiders again lost a heartbreaking Class AAA semifinal Friday night, falling 41-38 to second-ranked Millington Central at Middle Tennessee State University.

“It felt like we were chasing them all night,” Cleveland coach Rachel Moore said. “Millington did an excellent job of making plays, especially in the second half, to keep the lead.

“We had some great opportunities but didn’t convert.”

Millington (37-1) set the pace early, taking a 13-2 lead midway through the first quarter. But Cleveland slowly closed the gap, getting within one on Morgan Isom’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the first half.

The Lady Raiders (32-3) never trailed by more than five in the second half and got as close as one twice. They also had possession trailing by two points three times in the fourth quarter but could never draw even.

“We’re not used to coming from behind,” said Cleveland Miss Basketball finalist Michelle Davis, who fouled out with 48 seconds left, having scored 12 points. “We did it in the first game up here and we kept fighting tonight, but we just couldn’t do enough. It seemed like everything we did they would answer.”

After making half its first-half shots, Cleveland connected on just five of 24 field-goal attemps in the second half, while Millington made six of of its nine attempts.

Millington, which is in the state tournament for the first time in 14 years, will play for its first state title since 1928. The Lady Trojans struggled to put Cleveland away, making just four of 12 free throws in the final three minutes.

“The way we started the game was very important,” said Millington guard LaTesa McLaughlin. “We wanted to put them back on their heels early and build off our defense.

“They’re a great team, but we’re proving a point up here. We’re making a statement to a lot of people.”

After Millington’s Michelle Brown missed the second of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining, Cleveland’s Rachael Isom had one chance to tie the game, but her 3-point attempt fell short just before the buzzer.

“We’ve accomplished so much together in four years,” Davis said, referring to senior teammates Isom and Cacy Burtnett, all of whom have signed with NCAA Division I programs. “I’ve had so many memories with them, and I’ll never forget playing with them.

“But I would really love to have just one more minute on the clock.”