District 1 3-A Girls Basketball Tournament… Cyclone girls capture district with thrashing of Sullivan East
Published 12:17 am Tuesday, February 22, 2022
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Star Photo/Nic Miller The Elizabethton Lady Cyclones stand with their plaque after defeating Sullivan East for the District 1 3-A Championship.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Among those chosen for the all-tournament team from Elizabethton were (L-R) Renna Lane, tourney MVP Lina Lyon, Olivia Holly, and Marlee Mathena.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Elizabethton guard Lina Lyon looks for an open teammate before being swallowed up by the Sullivan East defense.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Elizabethton's Renna Lane picks up her dribble and looks for an open teammate in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Nic Miller The Lady Cyclones Olivia Holly loads up to shoot the three ball late in the first quarter.
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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
CHURCH HILL – After advancing to the TSSAA District 1-AAA Championship match up with their nail-biting win over the Volunteer Lady Falcons, the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones were 32 minutes away from a district crown on Monday, with the Lady Patriots of Sullivan East standing in their way.
However, East could not keep up with Elizabethton’s impressive barrage of three-point shots on the night as the Lady Cyclones were making it rain from downtown in the 79-41 victory to claim their seat atop the conference.
Things were not smooth sailing for Betsy to start things off, as the Lady Cyclones trailed early when East drained a three-ball to kick things off.
But the fight came early, with Elizabethton knocking down a large percentage of their shots in the first few minutes of action, holding a 14-9- lead at the end of the first stanza.
But the domination would only continue and the Lady Cyclones would only get stronger totaling seven three-point attempts made in the second period thanks to Renna Lane who contributed to four of them.
At the halftime break, things were on the brink of getting out of hand, with the Lady Cyclones on top with a score of 37-20.
The third quarter, much like the second, belonged to the Lady Cyclones as they would put up the first four points of the final half on their way to outscoring the Lady Patriots 27-16 in the stanza. Heading into the final quarter, things were all but over with the Lady Cyclones on top, 64-36.
The final period became a waiting game for Elizabethton, as the Lady Cyclones slowed down the tempo and got ready to celebrate.
After it was all said and done, Cyclone fans throughout the gymnasium were ecstatic as the Lady Cyclones would take home the hardware in not-so-dramatic fashion, 79-41.
In the win, the Lady Cyclones were led by Olivia Holly who finished the night with 21 points, while Lane followed closely behind with a total of 16 in the contest.
Marlee Mathena, Lane, and Holly all finished the tournament with All-District honors while point guard Lina Lyon took home the ultimate hardware in the form of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
After the win, the Lady Cyclones move on to the girl’s regional tournament where they play host to Cherokee on Friday at 7 p.m.
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Girls District 1 3-A Championship
Elizabethton, 79-41
Elizabethton (79)
Olivia Holly 21, Lina Lyon 14, Renna Lane 16, Marlee Mathena 13, Maddie Fowler 5, Reiley Whitson 3, Katie Lee 7.
Sullivan East (41)
Miley McCarter 3, Kylie Hurley 3, Hannah Hodge 2, Kara Hicks 5, Jenna Hare 17, Hayley Grubb 13, Olivia Ashbrook 1.
Elizabethton …… 14 23 27 15 – 79
Sullivan East……. 9 11 16 8 – 44