DECATUR, Tenn. – Since rising to the top of the Class AA girls basketball poll early last week, Meigs County coach Jason Powell wasn’t overly pleased with the Lady Tigers’ performance since attaining that No. 1 ranking.
Granted, Meigs was able to pick up a pair of wins to win the District 5 title, but Powell was ready to see his team prove they deserved their lofty status.
The veteran coach got his wish in Friday night’s Region 3 quarterfinal with Tyner. Meigs County’s relentless defensive pressure led to a 27-2 first quarter margin, and the Lady Tigers coasted the rest of the way to defeat the Lady Rams, 76-43.
“We set the tone early. Really off the bat we matched quickly and forced them into a lot of trapping situations with our press,” Powell said. “We got some steals that led to scores, and we were able to push the tempo to our style of play.
“We finally played like a No.1 team is supposed to play, especially in the first quarter when we were able to be at our best.”
Kassidy Kenny, the lone junior starter along with a quartet of sophomores, scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the opening frame for Meigs County (28-2). Anna Crowder added 12 points inside for the Lady Tigers, while Jaci Powell and Jacelyn Stone chipped in with nine apiece.
The Lady Tigers are normally explosive beyond the arc offensively but managed only a trio of 3-pointers with two of those coming from reserve players.
“We didn’t shoot the ‘3’ well tonight, but we were able to penetrate and find some opportunities in the paint,” Powell said. “Plus, we were able to give a lot of our back-ups some playing time tonight. I thought it was one of our better performances in a while.”
Meigs County will face Red Bank, a 58-51 winner over Sweetwater, in Monday’s regional semifinals hosted by Loudon High School.
Tyner, which ended its season with a 16-12 record, was led in scoring by Imoiasha Camp’s 16 points and Janarla Cosuy added nine.
Tyner 2 16 9 16 -- 43
Meigs County 27 17 14 18 -- 76
TYNER (43) – Imoiasha Camp 16, Cosuy 9, McCutcheon 4, Crumsey 7, Long 2, McKenzie 2, Espy 3, Ratliff, Poole.
MEIGS COUNTY (76) – Kassidy Kenny 17, Anna Crowder 12, Powell 9, Stone 9, E. Crowder 2, Wade 6, Bales 8, Crabtree 4, Hennessee 2, Crager 5, Miller 2.
3 Pointers: Tyner 5 (Camp 4, Espy); Meigs County 3 (Powell, Bales, Crager).