GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma girls’ basketball team lost its first district game of the season to Franklin County by a score of 38-37.

The Lady Wildcats were able to sneak in a game before the massive snowstorm swooped upon the south. In this contest against the opposing Lady Rebels, Tullahoma was well within striking distance but could not ultimately grab the advantage in the fourth quarter. Their falling short did not go without effort. One player for Tullahoma who especially did not go down without a fight was sophomore Kenzie Farrell.

With 2:45 left in the fourth, guard for Franklin Co., Jaelyn Ritchie, knocked down a three that extended their lead to six at 35-29. With a fairly low-scoring game, this felt significant, but Farrell delivered a punch right back. From the right wing, the sophomore was given the space to let a three fly. She gathered her footing and caught nothing but twine on her jumper. The well-traveled student section of THS let out a roar, as the score was back to a three-point game at 35-32.

Farrell had a total of six points in the contest.

 For the next minute, the two teams traded blank possessions on the scoreboard, with the ‘Cats eventually cutting the scoring drought with a two from senior McLayne Bobo, making the score 35-34. Eventually, on the other end, with 29.7 seconds left, senior Lady Rebels’ Gracen Baggett threw up a layup through contact, giving the Lady Rebels a bucket. She made the contested shot, drawing a foul in the process. Baggett then converted the three-point play, making a free throw,  giving Franklin County a 38-34 lead.

Baggett, against Tullahoma, logged her 1,000^th point in her career for Franklin County. She was recognized for this achievement before the start of the boys’ game.

With limited time, Tullahoma needed to act fast, trailing by two possessions. But due to great perimeter defense from the Lady Rebels, they struggled to get a shot up. Head Coach of Tullahoma Chad Hibdon, with six seconds remaining, called a timeout. The Lady Wildcats, out of the timeout, proceeded to make a deep three, coming from Bobo, cutting the lead to one. But with only one second remaining after the make, and the clock still running, the final buzzer sounded and dealt the ‘Cats their seventh loss of the season.

The Lady Wildcats in this loss had two players score double figures—Bobo with 11 points and sophomore Madsion McCarl with 10.

The next scheduled game for Tullahoma will be against Giles County. Giles this season is playing at a high-level. They have an overall record of 10-5 and are first in the district with a 2-1 record.