Class AA state final at Murfreesboro
MARTIN LUTHER KING 58, McMINN CENTRAL 51MLK 5 14 19 20 — 58McMinn Central 13 15 4 19 — 51Martin Luther King (58) — Molly Kafader 24, Harrison 2, Briana Smith 16, Jordan Majors 10, Merrell, Francis, Sprandel 4, Beard 2.McMinn Central (51) — Jacobi Lynn 26, Wright 9, Cherry 2, Trentham 8, Myers 4, Tillman 2, Martin, Truelove, Coleman.3-point goals: MLK none; McMinn Central 3. Records: MLK 29-6; McMinn Central 30-6.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A promising start was overshadowed by second-half struggles as McMinn Central fell short Sunday evening of claiming its second Class AA girls’ state basketball championship.
After shooting 43 percent from the floor in the first half, building an 11-point lead, the Chargerettes made just 7 of 33 second-half shots (21 percent) and lost 58-51 to Nashville’s Martin Luther King. McMinn Central had two sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup.
“We took good shots in the first half and then were just kind of throwing it up at the basket a few times in the second half,” Chargerettes coach Johnny Morgan said. “We needed to continue to be patient, but once they got a couple of easy putbacks, because we didn’t box out, I think we started to rush some shots and things really started to go their way then.”
McMinn Central, which led for 19:04 of the game, made just one of 10 3-point attempts in final two quarters, while MLK shot a blistering 69 percent (11-of-16) from the field and also made 17 of 28 free throws in the second half.