Region 3-A ChampionshipAt Arts & SciencesWHITWELL 62, VAN BUREN 35Van Buren 10 12 6 7 — 35Whitwell 11 17 18 16 — 62Van Buren (35) — Butcher 8, Grissom 2, Hitchcock, Thornton 8, Shockley 4, Hankins, Lakelyn Bouldin 13, Christian.Whitwell (62) — Condra 9, Caldwell 6, Haley Atterton 12, Halle Ware 17, Carter 5, Coppinger, Bennington 2, Kelsey Kilgore 10, Hedrick, Gholston 1.3-point goals: Van Buren 2 (Butcher 2); Whitwell 4 (Kilgore 2, Condra, Carter); Other highlights: Bouldin 10 r, 3 s; Anna Thornton 8 r (V); Allie Caldwell 4 a, 3 s; Ware 3 s, 3 a; Brooke Bennington 6 r (W). Records: Whitwell 27-6; Whitwell 13-18. Up next: Whitwell will host loser of Jackson County and Clay County in Saturday sectional.
With about a minute remaining in their Region 3-A championship game against Van Buren County, Whitwell guard Halle Ware dribbled the ball across the midcourt line. She stopped over halfcourt, and continued a slow cadence of dribbles as the Eaglettes stood and watched. At that point, the silent message from them was clear: We concede.
The Lady Tigers’ endless pressure led to 23 turnovers, and they were able to claim the school’s first-ever region championship with a 62-35 victory Wednesday at Arts & Sciences. Whitwell improves to 27-6 on the season and will face 10th-ranked Clay County, who fell 58-45 to third-ranked Jackson County in the Region 4-A title game.
Ware, named the tournament Most Valuable Player, finished with a game-high 17 points, relentlessly attacking gaps in the Van Buren defense, but it was the Whitwell defense that stretched a 28-22 halftime lead to 18 points by the end of the third quarter.
“We just wanted to win play as tight of pressure defense as possible and make it as difficult for their guards as we could,” Whitwell coach Eric Zensen said. “I think that the full-court pressure finally wore them [Van Buren] down.”