ATHENS, Tenn. — Down to McMinn County by seven going into the fourth quarter, Soddy-Daisy girls’ basketball coach David Casteel told the Lady Trojans to keep playing the way they had been.
He also told them they didn’t need any heroes.
McKenzie Bolton and Kelsey Nunley took heed of the former advice but ignored the latter in a 45-40 win Friday in the District 5-AAA tournament. The two combined to score 15 fourth-quarter points as the Lady Trojans outscored host McMinn 24-12 in the final eight minutes.
Soddy-Daisy trailed 28-21 going into the final quarter but outscored its three-quarter output in that period. The Lady Trojans went on a 7-0 run, tying the game at 28 on a drive by Bolton, then taking a 33-32 lead on a three-point play by Nunley with 4:43 to play.
The lead changed four times, but Soddy-Daisy went ahead for good on a drive by Andrea Johnson. McMinn’s C.J. Lowry missed a jump shot, and then Bolton drove downcourt and found Shelby Wilson for a layup and a three-point cushion.
The Lady Trojans (11-12) hit six of eight free throws in the final 1:09. They will face top seed Walker Valley, ranked fifth in the state, today at 3 p.m.
“The fourth quarter was about our defense,” Casteel said. “We don’t have a lot of offensive ability, but our defense creates our offense. We have girls that can go; we had more legs and beat them down the floor for some baskets.”
Bolton led all scorers with 20 points, Nunley adding 13.
“McKenzie looked like a hero at times,” Casteel said. “One thing overlooked about her is her defensive pressure; with her size, she really pressures the opposing point guard. There are nights when she’s rewarded for that and nights when she’s not. This was one of the nights she was.”
Hannah Brown paced McMinn (10-17) with 11 points.