In one of the most anticipated games of the year, Greeneville and Elizabethton lived up to the hype…and then some. A back-and-forth battle for four quarters on Elizabethton’s home floor, it would come down to the final seconds with Elizabethton able to hang on for a one-point victory on their home floor over the Lady Devils 59-58 to win the Region Championship.
A three-pointer in the fourth quarter by Lauren Bailey would give the Lady Devils their first lead with less than 2:00 minutes left in the game since the first half. Elizabethton would come right back to answer and would then hold that lead until the final buzzer. Anna Shaw would get the ball off a missed free throw and dribble all the way to the basket on the other end, but with a defender right on her, would fire a contested two-point jump shot at the buzzer that would be no good.
Lauren Bailey led the Lady Devils in the game with 17 points while Kyla Jobe added 10 points off the bench and Shaw and Chloe Marsh each added 9 in the loss. Bailey, Shaw, and Marsh were named to the All-Region Tournament team postgame. Renna Lane led Elizabethton with 19 points while Lina Lyon flirted with a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds and was named Regional Tournament MVP.
With the loss, Greeneville will play at Seymour in the State Sectional game on Saturday with a trip to the State Tournament on the line. Greeneville defeated Seymour in the Substate game in 2022 64-44 following a loss to Elizabethton in the Region Championship last season.
Coverage of Greeneville at Seymour in the AAA State Sectional begins with the Tournament Tipoff Show at 6:30 p.m. with tipoff at 7:00 p.m. on 99.5 FM WGRV, Comcast channel 18, and WGRV.com.
