Despite a strong start Wednesday night, Meigs County was unable to hold off a second-half surge by Westview and fell 41-30 in the opening round of the TSSAA Clas AA girls' basketball state tournament in Murfreesboro.
The Lady Tigers opened the game on a 10-3 run but had their lead cut to two points by halftime. A 14-2 run by Westview in the third quarter put Meigs County behind to stay.
"I think a lot of it was lack of depth and size and that caught up with us," Lady Tigers coach Jason Powell said. "I thought they were getting tired a little bit in the second quarter, but they came back in the third and had an energy level we couldn't match.
"I thought if we could get the game back to within one possession we might be able to make a late run, but they hit a big 3-pointer that really put the game away. It was hard to match up against their two six-footers, especially when they started hitting outside shots, too."
Ansley Wade led Meigs County (21-6) with nine points and Jaci Powell added six with six rebounds. Jada Harrison, Avery Leyhue and Emerson Leyhue all finished with nine points for Westview (28-1).
"It was especially sad because I had already decided this would be my last year coaching, so this was my last game," said Powell, who has coached for 27 years, including the past 18 at Meigs County. "I knew I wanted to go out with this group because my daughter (Jaci) is a senior, and it's just been a real special group of kids for me.
"This group of seniors won two district championships, two regions, went to four sub-states and got to the state tournament this year. That's quite a lot to accomplish. I'll be 52 this Saturday, and there are things I want to enjoy doing before I get too old. Coaching can be a grind and stressful, so it's time for someone else to take the program."
BASEBALL
Northwest Whitfield 10, Dalton 0: Junior ace Cade Fisher pitched extended his scoreless streak to 27 innings with his third one-hitter of the season - to go with a no-hitter - as the Bruins (9-2) won the nonregion game. Fisher, who struck out 12 batters and walked one, also belted a pair of home runs and drove in seven runs, with Keaton McQuaig driving in two runs and Aiden Hosford adding two hits.
Gordon Lee 10, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 0: Blake Rogers knocked in two runs while also earning the pitching win after going five innings and allowing two hits with four strikeouts. Cade Peterson was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, with Kade Cowan, Nate Dunfee and Brodie Genter adding two hits each for the Trojans (7-1).
Compiled by Stephen Hargis and Lindsey Young. Contact Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293 and follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis. Contact Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.