McMINNVILLE, Tenn. — The thought of a Round 4 was just too good to pass up for Walker Valley’s Laurel Allen.
The Walker Valley junior, after watching rival Cleveland defeat White County 51-39, scored 22 points, including the winning free throws in overtime, as the Lady Mustangs edged Cookeville 52-51 Monday night in the Region 3-AAA basketball semifinals at Warren County High School.
Cleveland’s Lady Raiders (25-8) used a 17-5 run over the final 5:33 of the third quarter to win their game. They will meet Walker Valley for the region championship Wednesday at a site to be determined.
Allen had 11 points in the third quarter and all four points in overtime for Walker Valley (30-2). Alli Moreland added 12 for the Lady Mustangs. Tatiana Johnson had 27 to lead Cookeville, which didn’t use a substitution until post Hannah Goolsby fouled out with 37.5 seconds to go.
“We had to win this one first,” Allen said. “Coach had me fired up in the locker room at halftime, and I came out ready to play.”
Allen, who missed a big free throw in the district championship loss to Cleveland, is ready for another opportunity.
“I wish I could have changed that, but we want to get our revenge on Wednesday,” she said.
The Lady Cavaliers tied the score at 48 on a Sydney Robinson 3-pointer with 21.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Cookeville then took a 50-48 lead in overtime on a floater by Johnson, but Allen scored a tying putback with 45 seconds remaining. Johnson was fouled and hit one of two free throws at the line, but Allen was fouled on a drive with 37.5 seconds to go. Her two free throws gave Walker Valley the lead, but the win wasn’t sealed until a Robinson jumper rolled out at the buzzer.
“We hung in there,” Walker Valley coach David Tucker said. “When you’re used to winning, things fall in place. It came down to who was going to make the big play, the big bucket, and we did.”
The Cleveland defense was instrumental in its win, and posts Q’Schara Brown and Cierra Anderson combined for 28 points. Anderson led with 16 points, while Brown and Britny Latham had 12 apiece.
The Lady Raiders had some issues offensively early in their game — they hit only four field goals and missed six of 11 free throws — but trailed only 14-13 at halftime as their defense forced turnovers against the slower White County team.
“In the first half, we couldn’t get any kind of rhythm offensively,” Cleveland coach Rachel Moore said. “Defensively, we didn’t do what we set out to do. We had a good scouting report and knew how physical they were, but we’re not shying away from physical play.
“In the second half, we got them to play fast and turn the ball over. I felt like our athleticism finally caught up with them.”
Brown had a huge third quarter, scoring 11 points. The Lady Warriors took a 22-16 lead on back-to-back 3s by Tasha Delaney and Brittany Dodson, but Cleveland turned around the score, taking the lead on a play inside by Anderson and leading 33-27 after three quarters.
White County trimmed that to 41-36 with 1:47 to go, but four free throws by Latham after a pair of technical fouls on Lady Warriors coach Bryan Haley sealed the win for Cleveland.
“We didn’t do everything right, but all that matters is that we won,” Moore said. “Anybody who has a chance to play for a region championship shouldn’t complain, because there are a lot of teams that aren’t playing.”