Red Bank's girls found themselves defending several four-on-three situations in the second half of their District 6-AA high school basketball tournament semifinal Saturday at Howard - just like they liked it.
Coach Bailey McGinnis chose to go with the rare triangle-and-two defense after halftime with both chasers guarding the Lady Panthers' Kimia Carter, who had a 16-point first half. The strategy worked well enough to blank Carter in the pivotal third quarter and enable the Lady Lions to defeat Brainerd 58-49.
Red Bank (24-4) will play next in Tuesday's 6 p.m. final against regular-season champion Signal Mountain. Brainerd (13-9) will play in Monday's third-place game against Tyner, also at 6.
"It's tournament time. It's time to take everything up a notch. We're excited about being back in the championship," said McGinnis, whose team won last year's district title.
The boys' consolation game is also Monday with Red Bank taking on Howard at 7:30. The title game is Tuesday between Signal Mountain and Tyner at 7:30.
Red Bank's girls led at halftime on the strength of Shelby Romans' tiebreaking 3-pointer three seconds before the buzzer. It was during intermission when McGinnis devised her plan. Then after the Lady Panthers scored the first two points of the second half, the Lady Lions outscored them 18-4 the rest of the quarter.
"We were going to try to let the other four beat us. We took a risk by double-teaming her," McGinnis said of Carter. "She still scored some, but we had to double her and force the other girls to try to score."
Carter scored 13 points in the second half, but none until she converted both ends of a one-and-one with 7:38 to play.
"It's not anything new," Brainerd coach Stanley Jackson said of the gimmick defense. "Earlier in the season (regular-season champion) Signal Mountain did that to us and we responded pretty well. I feel like we did more reacting than responding today."
After Carter's 29, Tyliyah Ward was next for Brainerd with 12 points.
"She still helped us because she's competitive, and she gives us her leadership and her basketball IQ," Jackson said of Carter, who played at Bradley Central last season. "I think our program is going in the right direction."
Romans paced Red Bank with 15 points and Mya Kennebrew, who did not play in the Lady Lions' second loss to Signal Mountain, added 12. After going scoreless in the first quarter, Bailey Lee finished with 11.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.