The Elizabethton Fighting Cyclones faced the Upperman Bees in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal at Murphy Center on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Upperman girls won. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO – As minutes wore on in the second half of Elizabethton’s Class 3A state quarterfinal Wednesday and Upperman’s lead stayed in double digits, the outlook for the Lady Cyclones’ season began to already flip a page towards the next chapter.
Elizabethon trailed by 14 at the break and then 17 after three quarters.
But as tradition-rich Upperman put the final touches on a 59-42 win, one could only wonder about the potential that Elizabethton (27-7) possessed for a possible — and more successful — return trip in 2023.
“I don’t want to graduate without winning a state championship,” said Elizabethton guard Lina Lyon.
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Lyon scored 14 points on 7-for-18 shooting Wednesday and Renna Lane added 10 points but Elizabethton shot just 37.5 percent and was out-rebounded by nine.
Moreover, Elizabethton didn’t attempt a single free throw the entire game. Upperman (30-5) made 16 of 20.
Upperman, which won state titles in 2017 and 2018, advanced to an 11:30 a.m. Central time state semifinal Friday against either Creek Wood or Fayette-Ware.
Elizabethton cut Upperman’s lead to 10 twice in the fourth quarter, the latter of which came on a 3 by Reiley Whitson with 3 minutes, 31 seconds to play. But that lead never got to single digits for the Lady Cyclones to truly threaten a comeback.
“It’s tough. There’s not a bad team down here. And they (Upperman) have a really good guard,” Elizabethton coach Lucas Andrews said, referring to Upperman’s Miss Basketball finalist and Chattanooga commit Brooklyn Crouch. She finished with 15 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
“We knew it was going to be an uphill battle. I’m just truly proud of our kids and how they battled to the last minute.”
Wednesday was Elizabethton’s 10th state tournament appearance. The program won a state title in 2014 but hadn’t been back to Murfreesboro since a one-point quarterfinal loss in 2016.
So the tournament experience proved to be a new one for the Lady Cylones this week. And while they camped in the offseason at MTSU to try and familiarize themselves with the Murphy Center, Andrews said it did little to really capture the pageantry, energy and emotions his players felt today.
But could that newfound experience be parlayed into future success? The Cyclones return everyone — EVERYONE — for the 2022-23 season.
Lyon, a 5-5 junior guard, entered the week averaging 18 points per game. Lane, a 5-11 junior guard, averaged 10 points and seven rebounds. Olivia Holly, a 5-8 junior guard, averaged 10 points, as well, and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line this season.
And 6-foot-2 Marlee Mathena is just a sophomore who oozes with potential. She had seven rebounds and three blocks Wednesday.
They all gelled at the right time this season.
Elizabethton arrived in Murfreesboro on an 11-game win streak and finished 18-3 in the 2022 portion of their schedule – two of the losses by a combined three points.
“We knew when they came in they had a really good opportunity as freshmen, working their way up,” Andrews said of the Class of 2023 players on his roster.
“Nobody really counted on us (winning) this year, that we had a chance. Everyone kept saying, ‘Next year, next year,’ because we didn’t have any seniors. But they went out and played with a chip on their shoulder — especially after Christmas. They wanted to go prove a point.”
Lane scored seven points in the first quarter Wednesday and drew confidence from that spurt.
But the bigger picture and the loss to Upperman already already has her motivated for this offseason.
“The days I feel tired or don’t want to go to the gym, I’m going to think about what I feel right now,” she said.
“I never want to feel this way again. Next year is my last year, and I don’t want to feel like this again.”
5STAR PHOTOS: Elizabethton Lady Cyclones vs. Upperman – March 9, 2022