For 26 minutes, Boyd-Buchanan's girls' basketball team dominated Arts & Sciences, cruising toward a District 5-A title, but the last six minutes were not so smooth of a ride.
The Lady Buccaneers had a 20-point cushion with just over six minutes to play and narrowly escaped with a 51-49 win Saturday night at Chattanooga State.
Boyd-Buchanan limited CSAS to 15 points and five made baskets in the first half in building a 28-15 advantage. After allowing just four points in the third quarter, the Lady Bucs' lead swelled to 22.
"When you don't play for three quarters, you're not going to win a game like that," CSAS coach Zach Dragoo said. "Effort is a choice, and we didn't make that choice until there were about seven minutes left."
The Lady Patriots came out with intensified effort in the fourth quarter and adjusted their defense to apply full-court pressure. Turnovers started to mount for the Lady Bucs.
"They're a quick athletic team, so we told our girls to be prepared for a run," Lady Bucs coach Tracey Walker said. "We kind of had a mental letdown, and that's part of being young. It's part of learning. I think we were trying not to lose the game instead of trying to just go win the game."
CSAS fed off of the crowd's roaring energy, and Lennex Walker got hot. She led all scorers with 25 points, 14 of which came in the final quarter.
By the 3:30 mark, the lead was down to seven, and a minute later it was 45-43 after an Aizha Little 3-pointer. The Lady Bucs, however, never gave up the lead, making key plays down the stretch.
"Every girl, from one to 11, gets credit for this one," Coach Walker said. "Marisa McCalla and Maddie Wright came up with some huge boards, and we got a lot of contribution from our bench."
Wright, who had 14 points, stepped in to take a charge with 10 ticks to go in a one-possession game. On the ensuing inbound, the ball fell in the hands of sophomore Kelsey High, who calmly stepped to the free-throw line after drawing a foul and hit both to make it a two-possession game with time running out.
"You can say she's got ice water in her veins," Coach Walker said. "She has great court awareness, and a bright future. She's a ballplayer."
Lennex Walker hit a 3 to bring the game to its final margin, and after a successful inbound for Boyd-Buchanan, CSAS's furious rally ran out of clock.
The boys' final was short on drama, as CSAS thumped Boyd-Buchanan 63-37. The Patriots led wire to wire and overwhelmed the Buccaneers with speed and sharp shooting.
Josh Carter scored a game-high 21 points with five 3s for CSAS. Boyd-Buchanan was led by Austin Jackson's 13.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com