The Field of 4 Is Set! (DII-A Edition)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, Friday night ended with a bang as teams punched their ticket to the next round. Both the public and private school classifications were in full effect, with the winners advancing to the next round. In this article, we take a look at the private schools and how the field of 4 will be set next weekend in Cookeville at the state tournament. I will say this, all games were tight and could have gone either way. Parity exists and the quality of basketball we have in this state is at a premium.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a recap of DII-A matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Christian 30</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TKA 34</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It may have been a low scoring game, but truly a team effort for the Lady Lions. Traveling across the state can be tough, but the TKA girls were ready to compete. This game was truly a back and forth match up, each team battling every possession. You could see what the game plan was for Jackson Christian, however, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890282' first='Lillian' last='Sims']</strong> was the X factor in coming in clutch with 10 points and knocking down time 3s. TKA controlled the boards to eliminate second chance shots. That right there was the winning formula and helped punch their ticket to the next round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goodpasture 53</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boyd 50</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, it wasn't easy and these girls have been battle tested. The Lady Cougars of Goodpasture are clicking on all cylinders. Led by junior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='377303' first='Lazaviona' last='Hawkins'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='821983' first='Brooklyn' last='Jones']</strong>, the Lady Cougars have a tough 1-2 punch with a tremendous supporting cast. Hawkins is the X factor. With her ability to get paint touches, finish at the rim, drop dimes or kick out, makes this team lethal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CAK 46</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PCA 42</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about a barn burner. The gym was packed and these two teams duked it out for an awesome showdown. It was a battle of will and the CAK girls weren't going to be denied. &nbsp; Led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821765' first='Maddie' last='Braden'], [player_tooltip player_id='290962' first='Izzy' last='Proffitt'], and [player_tooltip player_id='519799' first='Colie' last='Thompson']</strong>, the Lady Warriors had a phenomenal gameplan to slow down the PCA Lady Lions attack. Collapsing on the post, which <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='513278' first='Kayte' last='Madison Bjornstad']</strong> has owned all season long, the Lady Warriors made it tough for her to operate, sending a wave of defenders every time she touched the ball. Though PCA senior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='405709' first='Daisy' last='Gale']</strong> had 20 points, it was the trio from CAK that came in clutch hitting shots and free throws down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>USJ 65</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Silverdale 55</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Bruins keep rollin'. The community came out to support the girls and they delivered and used the rambunctious crowd to their advantage. Led by freshman guard <strong>Haylen Ayers</strong>, it was bucket after bucket as she drained shots from the field. Add forwards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='889931' first='Ellen' last='Driver'], Ava Barham, and pg [player_tooltip player_id='821748' first='Lilly' last='Teague']</strong> to the mix, it was tough for Silverdale to slow down this formidable attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now it's off to Cookeville for these young ladies. Here are the matchups that will take place at the Eagle's Nest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday, March 1st 12:00 PM</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TKA vs. Goodpasture</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday, March 1st 3:30 PM</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CAK vs. USJ</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->