Lynn-tastic night for Jacobi, McMinn Central girls

Lynn has success all over the court in McMinn Central win

The McMinn Central bench cheers after a 3-pointer during their Region 3-AA basketball championship game against Sequoyah at East Ridge High School on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, in East Ridge, Tenn. McMinn Central won and took the regional championship title.
The McMinn Central bench cheers after a 3-pointer during their Region 3-AA basketball championship game against Sequoyah at East Ridge High School on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, in East Ridge, Tenn. McMinn Central won and took the regional championship title.

Jacobi Lynn scored on McMinn Central's first possession of the game Wednesday night. It was a nice post move.

She scored again on the next trip down the court - and two of three possessions after that.

Lady Chargers coach Johnny Morgan had a plan on how to play his cards in the Region 3-AA tournament championship, and he showed them early.

He gave Lynn the ball all over the floor and she produced.

Lynn came within three points of tying her career high, scoring 34 points in the Lady Chargers' 68-58 win over Sequoyah in East Ridge's Catherine Neely Gymnasium.

"We held her to a total of 19 points in two games against us earlier this season," Sequoyah coach Spencer Beaty said, forgetting one of his three previous losses to the Lady Chargers this year.

Lynn scored 20 in the first quarter. She finished with 34.

"We'd been working on the guards going inside instead of relying on 3s," Lynn said. "Coach told us to get it in the paint and stay strong."

Lynn displayed her versatility throughout the evening. She scored in the post using a fake one way and finishing with her left (dominant) hand on a hook shot. She buried 3-pointers, three in the first quarter, and she converted a four-point play to give McMinn Central a 23-12 lead after the first eight minutes.

During the rest of the game, Lynn scored more in the post, more at the line, once on a reverse layup, and she stopped once at the free throw line after dribbling at full speed up the court to hit a jumper.

Lynn, the obvious tournament MVP, even nailed a one-handed pass from behind halfcourt to a post player who laid in the two points.

"She didn't do anything tonight," Morgan said, "that she can't always do."

Teammate Jordan Wright contributed 15 points, and the other Lady Chargers added 19. McMinn Central will face Livingston Academy on Saturday evening. Sequoyah will travel to the Upperman for a Region 3-AA sub-state game.

The Lady Chiefs were led by 21 points from Emily Hawkins. Kaitlyn Harris scored 11, while Bailee Lane and Madi Haymes each added 10 points.

"What they do, they do well," Beaty said. "You have to break the press, score with them and rebound."

During the third quarter he joked with one of his players, saying "You either need to rebound or go out and come buy a ticket."

"Every possession counts against Central," he said after the game. "We know Jacobi is going to make plays and that makes every possession against them counts."

McMinn led 35-27 at halftime and 55-38 heading to the final period, and Sequoyah pulled within nine during the fourth quarter.

"It feels like we had five or six players who weren't very good at all," Morgan said. "We had a chance to put them away in the first half and didn't do it. We had a chance in the second half and let them back in.

"Mentally, we weren't all here."

Lynn was there.

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

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