GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma High School gymnasium was packed to the brim for the girls’ basketball game between West and East Middle School on Nov. 17. The Lady Panthers were able to sneak past and get a 34-31 win in the game.

This contest between the two schools came down to the final buzzer. Through all three quarters, West held a lead. This advantage was made off the back of the ability to score in transition, and shutting down the Lady Panthers’ interior offensive game.

East went through a quarter and a half where they were attacking the paint non-stop. This attack was done at a low success rate due to some outstanding defense from West. The Lady Panthers’ offense finally opened up with some made threes in the second quarter, one coming from Rylee Ferguson and the other coming from Makayla Murray. East still trailed at halftime at 22-17, but this little scoring run played a part in their offense being more successful in the second half.

Murray in the contest was the leading scorer for the Lady Panthers. She had 13 points in the game, with seven of them coming in the second quarter.

In the second half, East continued to stick around, where they eventually tied the game, and then took a 34-32 lead off a Ferguson bucket in the fourth quarter. She scored off a stolen inbound pass and then quickly shot in a layup to garner the lead. Stress levels began to rise on the West side as their offense for the game began to slow down. A bright spot within these struggles was guard for the Lady Bobcats, Aubrey Bunn. West’s offense in the second half had a total of six points, and Bunn had all of them.

East’s defense likes to play up and try to force mistakes against opposing players. Bunn did a good job playing against this. She has above-average dribbling moves, which allowed her to maneuver past this pressure. She also showed she is a crafty scorer, with all three of her baskets, in the final frame, being tough, made shots in and around the basket.

East’s lead of 34-32 became a lead of 36-34 later in the fourth period with just under 3 minutes remaining. Teams traded intense offensive possessions, with no buckets. A Ferguson free throw with under a minute left snapped the silence on the scoreboard, making the score 37-34. West then raced to the other side to try to score, but was shut down with a blocked shot from the Lady Panthers’ center, Ingrid Fults. She was the second leading scorer on the day for East with nine points.

On the ensuing possession, East turned the ball over with five seconds left, and West proceeded to call a timeout. The Lady Bobcats were going to have to go the length of the court off an inbound from the opposite baseline from their bucket, to try and tie the game. They drew up a well-designed play where Bunn was able to catch the ball near midcourt and then get a great look at a three. The final buzzer sounded after the ball left her hand, and her shot looked great; it just unfortunately rimmed out, giving the East Panthers a 37-34 win.