Polk County’s Wildkittens figured out how to beat the state’s No. 1-ranked team and end its 28-game winning streak. They didn’t make a field goal in the second half until 2:24 remained.
In between Polk County did a good enough job of playing keep away and protecting the lead they built in the first half. As a result, the Wildkittens defeated McMinn Central 37-30 in the girls’ championship game of the Region 3-AA high school basketball tournament at East Hamilton.
Polk County (27-5) will host Upperman in one of Saturday’s state sectionals at 7 p.m. McMinn Central (29-2) will play at Region 4 champion Cannon County at 8 EST.
The Wildkittens’ victory over the District 6 regular-season and tournament champion Chargerettes was their first in four tries this season. Moreover, longtime Polk County coach Ron Davis, who’s retiring at the end of this season, couldn’t remember the last time one of his teams beat McMinn Central.
“It seems like a hundred years,” Davis said. “I’ll bet it’s been 10 or 12, but it seems like a hundred.”
It was after Elizabeth Masengil reduced McMinn Central’s deficit to 31-17 by making the first of two free throws with 5:32 left in the third quarter that Davis decided to go to a delay offense.
“As a coach I hate it when people do that on me,” Davis said. “It messes my mind up. You make that decision and after a while you’re committed. You can’t get out of it.”
Once the Wildkittens committed they didn’t attempt many field goals afterward. It turned out that Yowarsky’s free throw at the 7:27 mark was their only point in the third quarter. Her fourth-quarter follow of her own miss was their only basket of the second half, and not even 5-of-13 free-throw shooting in the second half led to any undoing.
“That’s being scared,” McMinn Central coach Johnny Morgan said of his team’s poor shooting night. “That’s not being able to handle the pressure of the situation.
Davis said getting off to a good start was crucial. Alex Rogers made a 3-point shot 15 seconds into the game and the Wildkittens never trailed. A 9-0 run to close the first quarter gave them an 11-point advantage that got to 21-6 early in the second quarter.
“What’s discouraging is when you’ve got things that work and they don’t execute,” Morgan said.
“I told them they’ve got three days to get mentally prepared to getting back to not getting outplayed.”
Hollie German led Polk County with 14 points. Yowarsky scored 12 before fouling out late.
Masengil and Jenna Adams totaled 10 points each for the Chargerettes.