There isn't a coach at the Best of Preps Basketball Tournament who came in with the goal of doing well in the consolation bracket.
However, not having the pressure of winning a tournament can have its benefits for a team still trying to find its way. For the Heritage High School girls, losing in Friday's first round sent coach Eddie Bryant to the drawing board, where the veteran coach looked to last year for help.
The Lady Generals used a return to pressure defense to roll past Chattanooga Christian, 60-41, in the second of two girls' consolation games Saturday at Chattanooga State.
Heritage (6-6) will face Signal Mountain (9-4) in Monday's 1 p.m. fifth-place game. Signal's girls topped Tyner 56-36 earlier Saturday.
In boys' consolation-bracket games, Notre Dame edged Boyd-Buchanan 36-35 and Ooltewah nipped Ringgold, 55-52. The Fighting Irish (5-8) and Owls (7-9) will play for fifth at 2:30 p.m. Monday; the girls' and boys' seventh-place games are at 10 and 11:30 a.m.
For Heritage on Saturday, the more wide-open game played into the hands of senior guard Jada Hubbard, who responded with 20 points, seven steals and five rebounds. It also didn't hurt that the Lady Generals were hot early on, hitting six 3-pointers in building a 30-16 halftime lead.
"When you hit a few shots, that's what happens, and we did early," Bryant said. "Last year we pressed all the time, but our depth this year is not what it was, so we backed out of it this year. We might have to rethink that and do more of what we did today, because our half-court offense is kind of stagnant. We got some good looks and runouts today because of it, and Jada played well in the up-tempo pace."
Hubbard scored nine points in the third period as the lead grew to 20, then helped stave off any CCS rally attempt in the final period with four of her steals.
"We've had trouble scoring, but we had a talk before we came here and Coach told us that we were getting good shots, we just have to make them," she said. "After losing by 20 yesterday we didn't want that to happen again, so this effort was much better."
Signal Mountain girls 56, Tyner 37: Aryn Sanders poured in 23 points, including 13 in the first half as the Lady Eagles overcame a slow start to take a 27-17 lead. Lydia Bledsoe added 10 points for the winners, while Porchia Turner and LeAundra Melton topped Tyner with 11 and 10 points.
Notre Dame 35, Boyd-Buchanan 34: Kolby McGowan's free throw and Tyler Byrd's blocked shot of a potential game-tying 3-pointer proved to the be difference as the Irish won the defensive-minded battle. After McGowan's free throw with 19 seconds to play made it a three-point game, Byrd tipped Austin Jackson's 3-point try. The ball bounced to the Bucs' Jack Keebler, who tipped it back in at the buzzer for the final one-point margin.
Byrd led Notre Dame with 10 points, while Keebler topped the Bucs (4-9) with 11.
Ooltewah 55, Ringgold 52: Edward Hayes hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play as the Owls held off the hard-charging Tigers, who were 12 points behind early in the second half. Ringgold trailed 49-45 before four free throws from Kile Sholl and Jordan Ransom tied the game.
After a strong Jarek Boyd drive gave the Owls a 51-49 lead, Sholl nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing for Ringgold's first lead of the game. However, Hayes answered right back with one of his own from the top of the key, then later added a free throw. The game wasn't sealed until Sholl's 30-footer at the buzzer came up just short.
Boyd led Ooltewah with 20 points, including 10 in the final period, with Hayes adding 11. Ransom scored a game-high 24 and Sholl had 11 to lead Ringgold (7-2).
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.