GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The two Tullahoma basketball programs started their postseason journeys on Friday night, and both teams grabbed wins. The Lady Wildcats won their game against Lawrence County 40-28, while the boys’ team won their matchup against Lawrence 62-52. 

Cats’ defense fuels opening-round win

The Lady Wildcats who were able to get some rest with a first round bye, matched up with Lawrence County, who were able to win their opening matchup against Giles County—winning 52-49.

Tullahoma and Lawrence had split the season series, with Lawrence winning the latter of the two. This set up a tiebreaker in the playoff matchup with the gift being granted to the loser that no team wants—an ended season.

Lawrence County brought energy to the game from the start and took a slight 9-7 lead after the first quarter.

Lawrence was able to further establish the possibility of putting Tullahoma’s season to an end with a shot at the buzzer. Lawrence guard Kabry Tinin cruised up the left sideline with three seconds ticking away in the first half and let a shot rip from well beyond half-court. The shot swished in and the Lawrence players and fans erupted into cheers. Tinin and her teammates ran back into the locker room with all smiles, while the Lady Wildcats jogged back to their lockers in a state of shock.

Tullahoma was out of sync in the first half and was making mistakes they usually don’t make. The pressure of a win-or-go-home playoff game was undoubtedly eating on their minds as they tried to find their footing in the game.

That 40+ foot buzzer beater may have been a blessing in disguise.

That buzzer-beater almost seemed to act like an alarm clock to get the ‘Cats back to playing the ball that earned them the first seed in the division.

Tullahoma started off the third quarter with a designed play that opened up a lane for sophomore guard Faith Vincent, who then banked home a layup and gave the ‘Cats the lead right back at 20-19. They went on to keep the lead the remainder of the game as their defense locked down Lawrence in the second half, outscoring them  21-6 in the two quarters. As far as the Lady Wildcat offense went junior guard McLayne Bobo topped the scoring department again for the ‘Cats, scoring a team-high 10 points.

Two first-year Tullahoma talents, Lizzy Sharpton and Addison Vincent, finished as the second and third leading scorers—Sharpton finishing with eight and Vincent finishing with nine.

Sharpton was the best defender on the court for the ‘Cats making it difficult for Lawrence to create any separation past half-court, as she played tight defense and was constantly getting deflections. Vincent added along to the stalemate of Lawrence in the second half, providing more aggressive defense for Tullahoma.

The two seniors for Tullahoma, Isabella Lidstrom, and Lakaiyah Barnes, contributed greatly as well in the win, with timely rebounds and their attention to detail to set up crucial winning plays in the second half.

With the win over Lawrence the Lady Wildcats advance to take on Franklin County High School in the district championship game, who they fell to in their latest matchup 48-45.

Tullahoma boys overcome early deficit in semi-final

It felt like the ball had just been tipped off between Lawrence County and Tullahoma when the scoreboard shined a 9-2 Lawrence Co. advantage.

The game was being played at a neutral site, and Tullahoma had already lost to Lawrence earlier in the year, losing 56-51 on Jan. 21. A one-seed gives you a bye, but it does not give you the grace of escaping an elimination game.

In that 9-2 run where Lawrence drilled three threes, the opportunity for nerves to set in for this Tullahoma squad was there. Many teams in this situation either fold up completely or go away from doing what makes them great. However, the Wildcats in the situation did the opposite.

They stuck to their game plan, locked in on the details of it, and possession by possession paved their way back in the game.

By the end of the first quarter, Tullahoma had a 16-14 lead.

The Wildcats after gaining the lead back from Lawrence stayed in a tightly contested back-and-forth bout until the later stages of the fourth quarter. Lawrence had a short time pocket of poor shooting in the period and Tullahoma capitalized on it.

Senior forward Xavier Farrell and senior guard Khani Johnson helped close the game out in the final quarter, combining for 43 of Tullahoma’s 62 points in the game and scoring 17 of the Wildcats’ 24 points in the fourth quarter. The duo played a huge part in the game not going out of control early, with their leadership and calmness holding true in the early game deficit. These attributes were visible to everyone as the two closed out the game with ease in the final period, earning Tullahoma a spot in the district championship game.

Junior Wildcat Jayden Thompson also had a big impact in the game and is back in the lineup following being inactive for over half of the year.

Thompson went out with a foot injury midway through the season and returned to the Wildcats’ lineup for their second to last game of their regular season against Franklin County on Feb. 11. Before his foot injury Thompson was the Wildcats’ third-leading scorer, and a game changer on the glass, as he was one of the better rebounders on the team.

He chipped five points and some boards for Tullahoma in their win against Lawrence, and showed although he has been out for a while, the same success he provided the team prior to his injury, is still there.

With the Wildcats’ win, they became the winningest team in school history, topping the previous high of 24 wins set by the 1977-1978 team. They will look to add to that total on Feb. 25 when they take on Giles County in the district championship.