WHITWELL, Tenn. – Courtney Zensen sent her home gymnasium into an uproar at the halftime buzzer Saturday night.
With cat-like reflexes, Zensen reached high in the air with her left hand to come up with her fifth steal of the half. Whitwell’s junior star proceeded to race downcourt and finish with her nondominant shooting hand off the glass just before the horn for a 23-19 lead at intermission of a TSSAA sectional.
While Whitwell’s packed-in crowd reached extraordinarily high decibels, the home sideline felt heartbreak late as Clay County staged a fourth-quarter comeback to win 41-39 and secure its spot in the eight-team Class 1A state tournament that starts Thursday at Middle Tennessee State University.
Halle Buford helped provide the difference for the visiting Lady Bulldogs (25-5) as the left-handed shooter found her form by knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, when she had 10 of her game-high 15 points. Briley Burchett was strong in the post, with 12 of her 14 points coming in the first half for Clay County.
The Lady Tigers (25-9) had a pair of opportunities in the final 23 seconds to tie the game, but they fell just short to conclude an incredible season. It was Whitwell’s first appearance in the sectional round since the 2012-13 campaign in which they went 26-9 and lost by six to Clarkrange with a state berth on the line.