Lady Hawks upset Lincoln Heights in postseason opener

January 22, 2025 by Ken Lay

Clinton Middle School’s new girls basketball coach, Jason Love, knew his first task was to change the culture of the Lady Hawks program.

After struggling in recent seasons, 2024-25 was widely expected to be a rebuilding year.

Love, however, rejected that notion.

“You always hear ‘rebuild, rebuild, rebuild,’ and people asked me if we were rebuilding,” Love said. “I told them, ‘No. My eighth graders don’t have time to rebuild.’”

The Lady Hawks finished the regular season with a 9-10 record, then opened the postseason with a strong performance Saturday, defeating ninth-seeded Lincoln Heights 50-36 at Northview Junior Academy in Kodak.

Clinton, the No. 8 seed, had three players score in double figures. Shelby Carroll led the Lady Hawks with 16 points, followed by Anslee Carmichael with 13 and Myla Queener with 10.

Clinton advanced to face top-seeded defending state champion Sevier County. Results were unavailable at press time.

“I think we had a great year,” Love said. “I think we exceeded expectations and got a lot done in a short time.

“We definitely learned a lot,” he said. “We learned about ourselves as a team and about ourselves as individuals. Now we know what it will take for us to be one of those top seeds.”