Webb locks down Catholic, claims region title with 53-24 rout
The Division II-AA East Region Girls Championship came relatively easily for Webb School of Knoxville Friday night.
The Lady Spartans, despite some offensive struggles, cruised past Cedar Bluff Area rival Knoxville Catholic, 53-24, before a near-capacity crowd at the Lee Athletic Center.
Webb, the defending state champion, was locked in a tight battle early as it clung to a slim 11-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
But after a tense opening frame, the Lady Spartans relied heavily upon their defense to seize control of the contest.
In turning up the defensive heat, the Lady Spartans responded to a challenge issued by head coach Greg Hernandez, who wanted his squad to keep the KCHS offense in check.
“I challenged them today, (saying) ‘Hey, I don’t want to give up more than 40 (points),’ and they held them to (24),” Hernandez said. “If we can get 50, I like our chances, as long as we get to 50 first.”
By halftime, the Lady Spartans (24-6) had doubled the Lady Irish’s offensive attack as they extended their advantage to 24-12 by halftime.
By the close of the third frame, Webb had racked up 41 points. Meanwhile, its defense surrendered just 17 points through the first 24 minutes of the contest.
“Offensively, it wasn’t all that pretty but we did enough to win,” Hernandez said. “I’ve got a really good group of girls and I’m just so proud of them for the way they defended,”
Offensively, Meeyah Green scored 13 points for the Lady Spartans, who are the defending state champions and are currently ranked second in the state.
Hernandez commended Green, a Clemson signee for her leadership.
“Meeyah’s leadership is just tremendous,” he said.
Kyndall Mays chipped in with 11 points for the Lady Spartans and Mary Mac Emery, a junior, had nine in the contest.
The Lady Spartans will have a first-round bye in the state tournament before they host a quarerfinal game on Friday. Webb will entertain either Briarcrest Christian School or Ensworth Friday at the Lee Athletic Center. Game time was not set at press time.
The Lady Irish (14-15) will also have an opening-round bye before hosting the winner of the first-round game between Lipscomb Academy and Chattanooga Girls Preparatory School on Friday.
Emery Haws led Catholic with nine points in Friday night’s region title tilt.
