All four of the highest seeds have earned berths in the championship games of the Logan County Middle School Basketball Tournament Tuesday. Six games have been played so far, and there have been six different winners. The four finalists are all from different schools.
The girls finals, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Logan County High School, will match top-seeded and perennial champion Olmstead, against Auburn. In the boys game which follows, number one Adairville will go against second-seeded Lewisburg.
WRUS (610 AM )will record the two games, according to Station Manager Chris McGinnis. They will be aired Wednesday, beginning at 6 p.m. with Andy and Zack Woodall calling the action.
On Friday, the Lewisburg girls became the first winner by beating Coach Adam Decker’s Chandlers Lady Bears. Chandlers still had a win within reach going into the final quarter, but Coach Jerald Tabb’s LMS team took the fourth period 10-4 on the way to a 32-20 win.
Meredith Johnson led the Lady Rangers with 11 points while Hannah Goss had 9. Chandra Fuller topped the Lady Bears with 8.
Score by quarters: 1) LMS 8-4, 2)17-16, 3) 22-16, Final) Lewisburg 32, Chandlers 20
LMS (32) Meredith Johnson 11, Hannah Goss 8, Kela Heltsley 6, MacKenzie Blair 4, Sydney Lee 3, Addie White, Maria Wells, Hayley Schweers, Abby Hinton, Monica Hines, Gracie Christian
CMS (20) Chandra Fuller 8, Jaycee Buchner 4, Dixie Shoemake 4, Kassidy Justice 2, Lexi Chick 2, Taylor Cross, Shana Johnson, Jayla Bigbee, Jasmine Bigbee, Shelby Cross, Haven Woodall, Hanna Boyd, Ashley Walker
In the boys game, Olmstead outscored Chandlers 11-2 in the third period, breaking open a two-point game at the half. Coach Todd Gill’s Rams went on to win 39-27.
Coach Stanley Fleming could only get scoring from three Bears. Jordan Collins scored 13, center Kaleb Justice 11 and Dontavius Blann 3. Collins hit a pair of 3-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws. Seven of his points came in the fourth quarter.
Olmstead had much more balance, although Tommy Krohn tied Collins for game honors with 13. Bradley Taylor scored 10 while Tanner Baldwin got his 6 points on a pair of treys. Three other Rams scored.
Score by quarters: 1) OMS 7-4, 2) 17-15, 3) 28-17, Final) Olmstead 39, Chandlers 27
CMS (27) Jordan Collins 13, Kaleb Justice 11, Dontavius Blann 3, Jesse Lashley, Peyton Rowe, Payton Moberly, Cameron Fagan, Nate Woodall
OMS (39) Tommy Krohn 13, Bradley Taylor 10, Tanner Baldwin 6, Zach Fuller 4, Dylan Penick 4, Anthony Dancer 2, Brady Griggs
Guards Sara Beth Hale and Karrah Cron took over the afternoon semifinal in the girls division as Auburn beat Adairville 29. They repeatedly made steals and found each other for assists and baskets. Cron finished with 20 points and Teanna Gray added 9. Auburn is coached by Josh Hall, who qualified yet another team for the finals.
Adairville was led by Kennedy Nichols with 8 points while Hannah Mimms had 7 for Coach Nick Hildabrand.
The Lady Cardinals cut the Lady Tigers’ lead to four at the end of the third quarter when Olivia Bouldin hit a drive and Mimms put back a rebound of her own shot with eight seconds showing. A 3-pointer by Jillian McLellan was about all the offense the Lady Tigers could muster in that six minutes. But Cron scored on an assist from Hale, and then she made a steal and got the ball to Hale for a goal. Mimms made one last surge for Adairville on a goal, but Cron hit a pair of three throws and then scored on a steal to make the margin 10 and put the game away. Cron totaled 10 points in the fourth.
Score by quarters: 1) AuMS 9-5, 2) 21-14, 29-25, Final) Auburn 42, Adairville 29
AdMS (29) Kennedy Nichols 8, Hannah Mimms 7, Kristen Hendricks 4, Olivia Bouldin 4, Brittany Garrett 2, Rachel Pitts 2, Emily Jones 2, Lauren Barnes
AuMS (42) Karrah Cron 20, Teanna Gray 9, Sarah Beth Hale 4, Jillian McLellan 3, Rosie Kerchenski 2, Sara Bills 2, Tamika Key 2
The afternoon boys semifinal was tight early. Cooper Covington, who finished with 20 points, gave the Tigers their last lead at 11-9. Then Lewisburg’s Ethan Smock scored six straight points, the first on a goal and free throw and the second on a long-range shot. Then he got the ball to Alex Wilson for a basket. Wilson, who was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points, then hit a 3-pointer himself, and Lewisburg’s 11 point run had given the Rangers a 20-11 lead before Covington scored again.
Lewisburg’s lead reached 12 before John Mark Page parlayed a strong rebound into a basket. Wilson went to the goal for another LMS basket before Page scored with 12 seconds to make the Rangers’ lead 39-28 as the fourth quarter began.
Wilson’s two free throws made the lead 43-30, but Covington and Kelby Epley gave Auburn new life before Smock turned on for several of his 17 points.
Winning 50-41 was favored Lewisburg, which is coached by Tabb and Brian White.
Score by quarters: 1) 9-9, 2) LMS 22-14, 3) 39-28, Final) Lewisburg 50, Auburn 41
AuMS (41) Cooper Covington 20, John Mark Page 10, Kelby Epley 5, Jackson Steward 2, Garrett Wilhelm 2, Grant Skipworth 1, Caden McKinnis 1, Reggie Powell, Koby Wall
LMS (50) Alex Wilson 21, Ethan Smock 17, Jacob Smock 5, Mykal Hampton 3, Caleb Ramirez 2, Jonathan Furlow 2, Jay Hardison, Brad Jenkins
The first game of Saturday night was not close. Olmstead overpowered Lewisburg 32-8. After Maria Wells scored the Lady Rangers’ first basket in the second quarter, LMS didn’t score again until Addie White got a shot to fall in the fourth period. By then, Coach Chris Wilcutt’s Lady Rams led 29-2. Hannah Goss and Sydney Lee each added a basket after that.
Olmstead got help from lots of places. Paige Vanzant scored 11 while Blayke Bingham and Bree Croslin added 8 each. Bingham and Vanzant each hit a 3-pointer.
Score by quarters: 1) OMS 11-0, 2) 21-2, 3) 29-2, Final) Olmstead 32, Lewisburg 8
LMS (8) Addie White 2, Maria Wells 2, Hannah Goss 2, Sydney Lee 2, Meredith Johnson, Abby Hinton, Kela Heltsley, Hayley Schweers, Mackenzie Blair, Carlie Alvis, Gracie Christian, Hayley Schweers
OMS (32) Paige Vanzant 11, Bree Croslin 8, Blayke Bingham 8, Ginny Edwards 4, Halie Borders 1, Katie Nofsinger, Carlie Alvis, Madison Stratton, Haleigh Duncan, Peyton Vanzant
Austin Rayno showed why he has been so highly regarded as a starter for the Adairville Cardinals for four years. He had 10 points, rebounded well, set up teammates, and gave Olmstead problems on defense as the Cardinals won 34-19.
When Dalton Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Cardinals led 9-2 after a quarter. After Anthony Dancer hit a rebound shot for Olmstead, the Cards went on a run with Sawyer Hopkins scoring on a bounce-pass assist from Rayno, Hopkins hitting a free throw, Rayno hitting a pair of free throws, and William Lyons putting together a 3-point play on a rebound to make the lead 21-6.
Tommy Krohn ended the streak with 4:40 left in the half, but Rayno turned a steal into three points to make it 24-8. Tanner Baldwin’s 3-pointer put Olmstead into double figures, but Olmstead really never threatened after that.
Score by quarters: 1) AdMS 9-2, 2) 18-6, 3) 25-13, Final) Adairville 34, Olmstad 19
OMS (19) Bradley Taylor 6, Dylan Penick 4, Tanner Baldwin 3, Anthony Dancer 2, Nathaniel Vick 2, Tommy Krohn 2, Zack Fuller, Chandler Silvey, Alex Brown, Brady Griggs, Dylan Wilson, Harrison Williams
Ad Hs (34) Austin Rayno 10, Sawyer Hopkins 7, Nick Wooden 5, Williams Lyons 5, Dalton Thompson 4, Cameron Gorrell 2