STAFF REPORT
FRANKLIN — A hot first quarter carried Shelbyville Central past Page in the Region 5-4A quarterfinals on Friday night.
The No. 3 Eaglettes (17-12) got a balanced attack that saw five players score in the opening period a Shelbyville upset the No. 2 Lady Patriots, 34-28.
From a pair of perimeter baskets, to a couple of free throws, to the ability to get to the rim, the Eaglettes built a 16-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But as dominant as the first quarter was in favor of the Eaglettes, offense became incredibly hard to come by in the second.
Jaz Western knocked down a 3-pointer—Shelbyville’s only basket of the second period.
Page didn’t fare much better, getting just two field goals from Samantha Lee and a pair of free throws by Lilly Espelet.
Shelbyville went just 1-for-8 from the floor in the second, but still held a 19-11 lead by halftime.
The cold spell from the floor continued into the third quarter, with Lilly Brown, Sammie Brown and Western all connecting on baskets to account for the Eaglettes’ six points.
Trailing 25-19, the Lady Patriots continued to lean on Espelet, who added five more to her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Still, Page was only able to match Shelbyville’s nine-point effort in the fourth and the Eaglettes were able to punch their ticket to the Region 5-4A semifinals.
Western, Blackburn, Lilly Brown and Lanaya Young all scored seven points, while Sammie Brown added six.
Just three Lady Patriots found their way in the scoring column.
The Eaglettes’ foe awaiting in another elimination game in the semifinals is an opponent Shelbyville knows all too well—Coffee County.
The Lady Raiders own wins against the Eaglettes by final scores of 73-61, 40-33 and a 47-29 in the District 9-4A tournament semifinals.
The Eaglettes will face the Lady Raiders on Monday night at 6 p.m. at region host Centennial.
Shelbyville 16 3 6 9 — 34
Page 5 6 8 9 — 28
Shelbyville: Jaz Western 7, Paige Blackburn 7, Lilly Brown 7, Lanaya Young 7, Sammie Brown 6.
Page: Lily Espelet 16, Samantha Lee 8, Miah Cabale 4.
3-Point goals: Shelbyville (4): Western, Blackburn, L. Brown, Western; Page (1): Cabale.
Halftime score: Shelbyville 19, Page 11.
