Holiday tournament basketball games are a mixed bag.
Some teams are eager to measure themselves against stiff competition. Others aim to tighten rotations in advance of the stretch run of region play. Some, like the Signal Mountain High School girls, just want to shake off the rust.
It took the Lady Eagles three quarters to do just that in Monday afternoon’s 36-28 win over Rhea County in the opening round of the Best of Preps Tournament at East Hamilton High School.
Signal Mountain will face Meigs County in today’s semifinal round, with East Hamilton and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe battling in the other semifinal.
The defending tournament champions trailed Rhea County 23-21 entering the final eight minutes after scoring only 10 points in the opening half and being out-rebounded handily early. An aggressive full-court press and more attention to the glass turned the game around and sparked a 16-0 run to start the last quarter.