MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A five-minute flurry of points helped the Gibson County High School girls’ basketball team rally from a 19-point third-quarter deficit and win the Class AA state championship over McMinn Central, 63-60.
McMinn Central’s Chargerettes led by 11 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run for a 44-25 lead with 5:55 left in the period. But the defending champion Lady Pioneers outscored McMinn Central 24-8 the rest of the quarter to pull within three.
They began the fourth period with five points in a row and led the final 6:34 of the game.
Madison Lee’s 3-point attempt from the top of the key with two seconds remaining bounced off the back of the rim, preventing McMinn Central from claiming its first state title in its third championship game appearance.
Gibson County’s Heather Butler led all scorers with 28 points and was named tournament MVP. Jenna Adams led the Chargerettes with 21 points, and Lee added 14.
See Sunday’s Times Free Press for more coverage.
Stephen has covered high school sports in the tri-state area since the early 1990s, starting at the News-Free Press as a 19-year-old reporter. He has been with the Times Free Press since its inception and has been an assistant sports editor for more than seven years. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP’s newsroom, winning numerous state and regional awards for his writing on high school athletics. He has two children, Riley ...
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