Lady Dragons get region win Friday, but season ends Monday on the road
Clinton’s Alley York drives the lane looking for a shot and a foul against the Gibbs Lady Eagles Friday night. (photo:Ken Leinart )
But that didn’t matter.
“This wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take a win, even if it’s an ugly one,” Phillips said after the Lady Dragons outlasted Gibbs 55-49 Friday night in the Region 2-AAA Tournament quarterfinals at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
With the victory, Clinton kept its 2022-23 season alive and brought the Lady Eagles’ season to an end.
Gibbs, which led 31-25 at halftime, finished the campaign, it’s first under head Coach Kendell McGill (a former player for the Lady Eagles), with a 9-21 record.
Things didn’t come easily for the Lady Dragons, but they made the plays needed to make it down the stretch.
The Lady Eagles took a 45-44 lead when Jadyn Parker knocked down a shot with 6 minutes, 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
But Clinton, which improved to 16-13 with Friday night’s win, had an answer as sophomore Sydney Herrell knocked down a 3-pointer to help the Lady Dragons regain the lead and pull ahead 47-45 with 5:43 to go.
Parker, who finished with a game-high 23 points, knotted the game at 47 before Clinton went on an 8-0 run to take a 55-47 lead as freshman post player Lanee Carmichael buried a pair of free throws with 25.3 seconds remaining.
Clinton was clutch from the foul line late as Carmichael and Josie Moody combined to go 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the waning moments when the game’s outcome was hanging in the balance.
The Lady Dragons feature one of the youngest lineups in the area and Phillips was pleased with the way her young squad played down the stretch to win its first region tournament game in her tenure as head coach.
“I’m really proud of them,” Phillips said. “This was a big game for them, especially as young as they are.
“I think this is the first region tournament win we have since I’ve been here, and I’ve been the coach for nine years.”
Clinton got off to a fast start as it opened an 11-2 lead. But the Lady Eagles clawed their way back into the contest as they closed the opening frame with a 13-5 surge to pull to within one at 16-15 by stanza’s end.
In the second quarter, the Lady Dragons struggled and Gibbs seized the upper hand, outscoring the home team 18-8 in the period to hold the advantage at the break.
The Lady Eagles led until Herrell knocked down a long-range jumper to tie the game 37-37 midway through the third quarter.
Her shot started a 9-2 run that would enable Clinton to take a 43-39 lead heading into the final frame.
In addition to manufacturing offense and finding some shooting touch, the Lady Dragons turned up the defensive pressure as Addi Gamble made a pair of key steals that led to transition baskets.
“I thought Addi, Lanee and Josie (Moody) really played good defense,” Phillips said.
Offensively, Gamble and Moody scored 17 points each and Carmichael chipped in with 11 and Herrell made a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the second half to help the Lady Dragons rally to pick up the win.
Lady Dragons’ season ends in region semifinals:
Clinton’s campaign came to an end Monday night as it lost to Seymour 65-31 on the Lady Eagles’ home floor.
Moody and Carmichael scored eight points each for Clinton (16-14). Moody made the first shot of the game as she gave the Lady Dragons a 3-0 lead with a long-range jumper.
CHS led 17-10 after the first quarter, but the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Dragons 13-2 in the second quarter where Clinton’s only points were a pair of free throws by Bailey Burroughs with 49.6 seconds left until halftime.
Burroughs also had three blocked shots in the contest.
Lady Dragons finish second in district tourney:
Before the 2022-23 basketball season, the Clinton Lady Dragons had aspirations to win the District 4-AAA Tournament championship.
Clinton played for the title on Tuesday, Feb. 21, but came up on the short end of a 46-42 decision against Halls at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
The Lady Dragons, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, started fast against the top-seeded Lady Devils, opening a 14-8 lead. But Halls would storm back in the second frame and use an 18-9 run in the quarter to take a 26-23 lead by halftime.
The Lady Dragons, who would go on to win their first region tournament game in several years when they edged Gibbs 55-49 at home Saturday, had a 35-34 lead against the Lady Devils, heading into the fourth quarter.
Clinton had its last lead of the contest, a 37-35 advantage, with 6 minutes, 52 seconds remaining when freshman Lanee Carmichael knocked down a pair of free throws. But Halls closed the game with a flourish and took a 44-40 lead when Kiera Everett made a field goal with 52.1 seconds to play.
Addie Gamble’s two foul shots with 42.3 seconds remaining pulled the Lady Dragons to 44-42 with 47.3 seconds left before a pair of free throws by Sophie Tharpe salted the game away with foul shots.
Carmichael had a game-high 18 points.
Carmichael, Josie Moody and Allie York were named to the all-tournament team.