Sequoyah, McMinn Central win 3-AA girls' semifinals

Sequoyah girls' basketball coach Spencer Beaty has no dreams of being Superman.

The "S" he wears on the necktie hanging to his navel is simply for Sequoyah - not a superhero.

The first-year coach at the Madisonville high school understands that when the ball goes up for the first tip, he has little to do with the outcome of a game. It's up to his players to make the proper pass, swish a shot, grab a rebound or close out on a shooter.

The Lady Chiefs excelled at all of their skills Monday night and toppled Tyner 61-33 in a Region 3-AA semifinal at East Ridge High School.

"We're happy to move on and face McMinn Central for the region championship on Wednesday," Beaty said. "We were ready tonight."

McMinn Central's Chargerettes defeated Loudon 86-60 in Catherine Neely Gymnasium and will be waiting for the Lady Chiefs on Wednesday. The state-ranked Chargerettes have beat Sequoyah three times this season.

Beaty wears a strip of athletic tape around his index finger on game days. It's a reminder for him to calm down and feel the game flow as necessary.

"We knew they'd play a zone and we got into the middle of it," Beaty said. "Our girls just hit shots."

Madi Haymes scored 17 points with five 3-pointers, and Emily Hawkins added 12 points. Samantha Maffelt led the Lady Rams with 12, and Marquiesha Conyers scored 10 in their last game of the season.

"We wanted to win district and we did that," Tyner coach Katrich Williams said. "They were lights-out tonight. Give Sequoyah credit. They moved the ball, got it to the middle and destroyed us."

McMinn Central won Monday largely with girls who started the game next to their coach.

"Our depth is a good part of our team, and I think we wore them down a little bit in the second half," Johnny Morgan said. "When I put my subs in is when we wore them down."

Jacobi Lynn led the Chargerettes with 27 points, Emily Plaster and Carlie Runyan splitting 26. Jessica Malone and Mariah Small had 18 each for Loudon, and Brianna Baxter scored 16.

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.

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