MT. JULIET — Next year they will all be together fighting for the same championship trophy.
But for this year, Mt. Juliet and Lebanon can both claim to be district girls’ basketball champions.
At Mt. Juliet, with legendary Lady Bears coach Chris Fryer in the house, the Lady Bears emerged from a five-year valley to return to what had once been routine as they knocked off neighboring rival Green Hill 59-54 for the District 12-4A title Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, at Lebanon’s Campbell Brandon Gym, the host Devilettes won their first district title since 2021 on Maggie Kelley’s tiebreaking free throw with 1.7 seconds left for a 45-44 nailbiter over Cookeville to take the District 7-4A plaque.
Next year, the three Wilson County schools, plus Wilson Central, will join Sumner County’s Gallatin, Hendersonville and Beech in the new District 7-4A.
Green Hill, which had had magical postseason moments in its five-year history, enjoyed its best regular season this time around, going undefeated in district play, including two come-from-behind wins over Mt. Juliet.
This time, the Lady Bears prevailed for their first district crown since winning the last of their 19 District 9-AAA titles (since 1982) in 2018. Anytime the lead reached seven points, the pendulum swung. A 52-46 Lady Hawks lead quickly evaporated when Claire Emery drove the baseline for a right-handed reverse layup for a 53-52 Lady Bear lead with 56 seconds left.
Sullie Gerik, a veteran of Green Hill’s post postseason success who was enjoying one of the best games of her career, missed a 3-pointer on the other end and Mt. Juliet made the free throws over the final seconds to improve to 16-11 for the season.
Green Hill slipped to 20-9. Both teams will open Region 6-4A tournament play Friday at Hillsboro with Mt. Juliet facing Antioch and the Lady Hawks taking on John Overton. The winners will return for the semifinals Monday. The finals are set for Wednesday.
The Lady Hawks led at the end of the first three quarters — 11-10, 27-25 and 43-42. But the lead seesawed throughout.
“We learned a lot from the last game,” said Mt. Juliet coach Jeremy Hawks, who was named district coach of the year. “We did have them and we were up and that was the difference between a senior-led team with Sullie (Gerik) and Julia (Varpness) and Alyssa (Potier) over there and obviously they have a monster in K.T. (Tolbert). Our team is super young with freshmen and sophomores and a couple of juniors. Them being able to fight through the adversity and win, we learned a lot from that loss… and that showed tonight.”
“Credit to Mt. Juliet,” first-year Green Hill coach Cody King said. “They’re a good team. They made plays down the stretch. They made shots down the stretch. We did not. I don’t know if it was just legs. We left a couple of shots short at the end that were good looks.
“Give credit to them. They play hard from start to finish. We’ve had two of these battles. A couple of weeks ago, it was pretty much the same game that went our way. This one went their way.”
McClaine Ringenberg sank 6 of 7 free throws and three 3-pointers to lead the Lady Bears with 19 points and claim the tournament Most Valuable Player award. Freshman point guard Addy Osborne buried a pair of 3s in the third quarter on her way to 14. Emery notched nine points Aaliyah Holman seven, Makayla Hopson six and Isabella Craig four.
On the flip side, Gerik sank five triples on her way to 22 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Freshman post Tolbert overcame early foul trouble to supply 17 while another senior Varpness, who was injured during Green Hill’s state semifinal run in 2023, added 11. Veteran Alyssa Potier and Willa Heilman each had two.
“(Gerik) was hitting everything,” King said. “I hate that she missed that last shot because she’s going to think about that shot because, really, she kept us in the game with her offense and the things she does on the court, getting the ball up the court, getting us set into our offense. She’s an invaluable part of the team.”
Ringenberg was joined on the all-tournament team by Osborne, Emery and Holman as well as Green Hill’s Gerik and Tolbert.
Tolbert was named district MVP for the regular season and joined on the all-district team by Green Hill teammates Gerik, Varpness and Potier as well as MJ’s Osborne, Holman and Ringenberg.
Emery was named defensive MVP and Heilman made all-defense.
Hawks, the third coach to try to replace Fryer, was named Coach of the Year. He graduated from Mt. Juliet in the mid-1990s when the Lady Bears were led by another legend, Tommy Martin. He coached at Friendship Christian in the 2010s and was the boys’ coach at Mt. Juliet Middle before coming to MJHS two years ago.
“I had seen the peaks,” Hawks said. “I had seen them at their best. I’ve seen all the wonderful girls who have come through here and played.
“I knew they were in a little bit of a lull. But I knew they had a super, super freshman class coming in and some good pieces that were already here. Obviously, I wasn’t the man who had to come in after Fryer, which is kind of a good thing because you never want to be the guy to replace the guy. But having Coach Fryer in the building and having him a part of this team and talking to this team and talking to me has just been outstanding.”
Lebanon rebounds from losing 11-point leadWith the score tied, Lebanon ran a side inbounds play and Maggie Kelley broke wide open. Cookeville grabbed her to prevent a layup.
She sank the first of her two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give Lebanon the lead and advance the Devilettes to Friday night’s Region 4-4A first round at Brandon Gym against Oakland or Riverdale (who played in the District 8 consolation last night) with the other headed to Cookeville.
The Devilettes were up 11-8 at the first-quarter break and 22-21 at halftime. The Lady Cavaliers scored to begin the second half to take a 23-22 edge. Lebanon hit three straight 3-pointers, two by Tiara Spencer and one by Naleiya Withrow-Walker, to build a 36-26 margin into the fourth where Cookeville dominated 18-9.
Withrow-Walker led Lebanon with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Spencer swished three triples for her nine while Samia Payne’s eight included a pair of treys. Ro Dowell finished with five points, Tramaria Neal four and Kelley and Ellie Beth McDonald three each.
Cara Lee Gilbert led the Lady Cavaliers with 13 points while Charlie Roby added 11.
Spencer, Withrow-Walker and McDonald were named to the all-district team.
Friday’s winners will reconvene at Lebanon on Monday night for the semifinals. The finals will be played Wednesday.
Lady ‘Cats finish fourth in 7-4AWilson Central finished fourth in the District 7-4A tournament with a 53-41 loss to Stewarts Creek on Monday night at Lebanon’s Campbell Brandon Gym/Hester Gibbs Court.
The Red Hawks held a 13-12 first-quarter edge before using a 12-3 second to open a 25-15 halftime lead. The Lady Wildcats used a 14-9 third to close the gap to 34-29 going into the fourth before Stewarts Creek closed out Central with a 19-12 final stanza.
Brylee Fly led the Lady Wildcats with 13 points while Ellie Ramsey notched nine points and 12 rebounds. Kiley Jo Byrom bagged a pair of 3-pointers as she and Kylie Moss each scored six while Brooklyn Evert finished with five and Riley Mirghavami two.
Wilson Central will travel to the District 8 champion Friday for the Region 4-4A tournament opener with the winner coming back to Lebanon for the semifinals Monday night. Blackman and Rockvale played for the District 8 title last night.
Lady Tigers top Jackson County for 5-2A third placeMONTEREY — Watertown finished third in the District 5-3A tournament Monday night with a 46-35 consolation win over Jackson County.
The Lady Purple Tigers led 15-7 at the first-quarter break, 21-15 at halftime and 33-27 through three.
Point guard Molly Followill fired in three first-period 3-pointers and four for the game in leading the Lady Tigers with 22 points. Dailey Hight hit two triples as she and Macie Brelje each tossed in 10. Izzie Burns added two points and Maggie Pearson and Julianna Pruitt a free throw apiece.
Claire Williams connected on three triples as she and Jalynn Meadows lead led the Lady Devils with 11 points.
Watertown will travel to Westmoreland on Friday for the Region 3-2A opening round game with the winner returning to Monterey for the semifinals Monday.
Devilettes drub Wilson CentralLebanon advanced to the final by blitzing Wilson Central 76-31 last Saturday.
The Lady Wildcats never led as the Devilettes broke a 2-2 tie with a 10-0 run. An 18-0 surge which crossed over into the second half was even more devastating for Central. The Lady ‘Cats committed 11 of their 29 turnovers in the first period against Lebanon’s ferocious press.
Lebanon led 47-16 at halftime and was up 52-19 midway through the third quarter when Coach Cory Barrett began emptying his bench.
Tiara Spencer was sizzling in the first quarter with 11 of her 18 points as she sank a pair of 3-pointers to lead Lebanon. Naleiya Withrow-Walker notched nine points. Shaunna Rowe racked up two triples as she, Ellie Beth McDonald and Tramaria Neal each added eight, Kiah Seay six, Freedom Pfiel five, Ro Dowell four, Lila Everett and Maggie Kelley three each and Caroline Coffee and Audrey Jones two apiece.
Riley Mirghavami hit two triples as she led the Lady Wildcats with eight points while Eliana Ramsey scored six, Brooklyn Evert five, Kylie Moss four, Brylee Fly three, Ava Richardson and Alexis Jackson two each and Annie Wilson a free throw.
Lady Wildcats stage late comeback to advanceWilson Central’s postseason was almost before the first game ended.
The Lady Wildcats trailed LaVergne by 12 points early in the fourth quarter before roaring to a 43-42 staying-alive win in the play-in game last Friday.
The Lady Wolverines led 36-24 early in the fourth before the Lady Wildcats closed them out with an 18-10 surge to buy three more games.
Kylie Jo Byrum bagged back-to-back 3-pointers to bring Central to within 40-39 with 1:35 to play.
Following a steal, Eliana Ramsey sank a free throw for a 41-40 edge, the Lady Wildcats’ first lead since 3-0.
Wilson Central snapped a 41-41 tie on Brylee Fly’s layup with 38 seconds left. Following an exchange of turnovers, LaVergne’s Liria Hicklen was fouled with .5 seconds left and her team trailing by two. She missed the first free throw and made the second, sending the Lady Wildcats to the semifinals while the Lady Wolverines’ season ended at 5-20.
A 3-pointer by Azurenique Sistrunk snapped a 6-6 tie late in the first quarter and a 3 from near the same spot by Trinity Ryan opened a 15-6 Lady Wolverine lead at the period break.
A 6-0 Wilson Central spurt in the second quarter enabled the Lady ‘Cats to cut a 20-6 deficit to 20-12. But the Lady Wolverines led 22-12 at halftime and later used a 6-0 run of their own to open a 33-20 margin late in the third period. It was 33-24 going into the fourth.
Fly had a double-double in the post with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Byrum had three triples as she and Brooklyn Evert each notched nine while Ramsey added eight. Kylie Moss had five assists and five steals to go with two points while Riley Mirghavami managed a free throw.
Sistrunk led LaVergne with 14 points.
Smith County sends Watertown to consolation gameMONTEREY — Watertown fell into the District 5-2A consolation game with a 47-35 semifinal loss to Smith County last Saturday.
The Lady Tigers had trouble scoring until the fourth quarter as they trailed 10-7 following the first quarter, 22-11 at halftime and 28-15 going into the fourth where they put up 20 points.
Karly Ramsey led the Lady Owls with 14 points while Emry Jones added 11.
Molly Followill fired in four triples in leading the Lady Tigers with 17 points while Julianna Pruitt’s nine fourth-period tallies included two 3s. Macie Brelje finished with five points and Dailey Hight and Izzie Burns two each.
Lady Bears beat Hendersonville in semifinalsMT. JULIET — Mt. Juliet advanced to the District 12-4A finals on its home floor with a 52-43 semifinal win over Hendersonville last Saturday.
Hendersonville held a 14-13 first-quarter edge before Mt. Juliet sneaked in front 25-24 by halftime. But a 14-4 third period blew open the game for the Lady Bears, who led 39-28 going into the fourth.
Aaliyah Holman led the Lady Bears with 20 points while Claire Emery added 13 as each hit two 3-pointers. Makayla Hopson had 12 points, Addy Osborne four free throws and McClaine Ringenberg three foul shots.
Chloe Rogers racked up three triples as she led the Lady Commandos with 15 points while Ilaiah Mack and Tatum Taylor each tossed in 10.
Green Hill beats Beech to advance to finals
MT. JULIET — Green Hill remained undefeated against District 12-4A foes last Saturday with a 46-36 semifinal win over Beech at Mt. Juliet.
The Lady Hawks led 14-13 at the first-quarter break and 21-20 at halftime before breaking it open with an 11-5 third to go up 32-25 going into the fourth.
Julia Varpness sank two 3-pointers as she and K.T. Tolbert each tossed in 13 points for Green Hill while Alyssa Potier also pumped in a pair of 3s on her way to 10. Sullie Gerik finished with five points, Willa Heilman a 3 and McKenna Solomon and McKinlee Slone a free throw apiece.
Tia Nix led the Lady Buccaneers with 10 points.
