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StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders Elizabethton’s McKendra Norris (15) steals a pass at the other end of the floor and races coast-to-coast, slams on the brakes causing the Blue Devils Abigail Rush(24) to fly by and hits the easy layup early in the second quarter.

StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders The Lady Cyclones Renna Lane (20) slices across the paint and hits a fall away jumper over Unicoi’s Allie Lingerfelt (20) mid-way through the second quarter.

StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders The Lady Cyclones Lina Lyon (4) drains a three ball from the top of the arc late in the first half.

StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders The Lady Cyclones Torrie Roberts (32) is tripped by Unicoi’s Abigail Rush (24) as she was driving for a layup early in the third quarter.

StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders The Lady Cyclones Lina Lyon (4) hits nothing but the bottom of the net on this three ball from right in front of Elizabethton’s bench late in the fourth quarter.

StarPhoto/Larry N. Souders Elizabethton’s Morgan Hendrick (21) splits two Lady Blue Devil defenders and is fouled as she puts up a layup early in the first quarter.

BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN

STAR CORRESPONDENT

The sophomore tandem of Lina Lyon and Renna Lane scored 36 points between themselves and the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones pulled away in the second half of a 70-37 District 1-AA tournament win.

The Cyclones (17-9) took third place with the win and will travel to South Greene for the opener of the regional tournament. EHS trailed 13-11 after one period but scored the first six points of the second period to take a lead they would only build on.

“This is what we have been waiting for,” Lady Cyclones head coach Lucas Andrews said. “I thought we put a lot of things together. We scored 70 points and we did it by playing pressure defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball so I am really proud of that.”

The Cyclones led 29-22 at the half and Unicoi County head coach Keri King didn’t bring her squad back to the court until the very last minute. The Lady Blue Devils would score just six third-quarter points as EHS tallied 19 for a 48-27 Cyclones advantage.

Lyon scored a game-high 19 points with Lane adding 17 – hitting on three treys – and guard Olivia Holly also dropped in three triples for her 11-point night.

“I can’t wait to show the team the film of this game so we can keep mimicking that,” Andrews said. “I thought the young kids came in and gave us a big spark.

“And then they began to find the next girl and supplementing that by passing the ball well and finding the open girl. I thought we played good team ball.”

For Unicoi County (13-14) post Caroline Podvin scored a team-high 10 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils. Tenley Holt and Faith Bennett each had nine for UC.

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District 1-AA Consolation

EHS 70-37

Unicoi Co. (37)

Lingerfelt 6, Holt 9, Rush 2, Podvin 10, Bennett 9, Watson 1.

Elizabethton (70)

Lyon 19, Norris 5, Lane 17, Headrick 8, Roberts 5, Holly 11, Simmons 2, Lee 3.

Unicoi Co. 13 9 5 10 – 37

Elizabethton 11 16 19 22 – 70

3-point goals: UC 1 (Bennett), EHS 9 (Lane 3, Holly 3, Lee, Lyon, Norris).