A hot start was just what the doctor ordered for the Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes in their District 8-AAA play-in game against Franklin County. The Eaglettes opened the game on a 12-0 run and went on to knock off the Rebelettes 59-38 to keep their season alive and advance within the district tournament...
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A hot start was just what the doctor ordered for the Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes in their District 8-AAA play-in game against Franklin County.
The Eaglettes opened the game on a 12-0 run and went on to knock off the Rebelettes 59-38 to keep their season alive and advance within the district tournament.
A win in the regular season finale against Columbia Central would have bumped the Eaglettes to a No. 4 seed in the tournament, but Shelbyville Central fell just short of that.
Being a No. 6 seed entering the postseason, the Eaglettes got one more game in front of a home crowd at Rick Insell Gymnasium.
"A win against Columbia earlier this week would have earned the fourth-place seed going into the tourney, but we came up just a few points short. Going into the tourney as a sixth seed today put us playing at home once again for our seniors and playing against Franklin County," Eaglette coach Jen Hicks said.
Having beaten Franklin County twice this season, the Eaglettes opened the game with a strong start and made sure the Rebelettes wouldn't snap Shelbyville's hopes of making it three-straight this season against Franklin County.
Shelbyville opened up a 12-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and stretched its lead to 22-9 by the end of the first half.
Franklin County did manage a rally for 29 points in the second half, only to be out-gained by the Eaglettes' 30-point effort in the second half.
"It's tough to beat any team three times and our Eaglettes played composed and focused on the game plan. I was proud of the girls who stepped up and filled new roles tonight," Hicks said.
It was a steady mix of veteran leadership and young talent that landed the Eaglettes the first-round victory.
A career night by senior Kendall Dearing led the way in scoring for the Eaglettes, while fellow senior Kelsey Harden chipped in 16 for the winners.
"Freshmen Zoe Reed, Paige Blackburn and Lilly Brown were heavily depended on. Seniors Kendall Dearing and Kelsey Harden did a good job of handling Franklin County's second-half run and providing leadership and a calming factor for their young team," Hicks said.
Shelbyville also made the most of its shooting opportunities, making good on 21-of-26 tries at the free throw line.
The win advanced the Eaglettes within the District 8-AAA tournament, which was originally scheduled to be played this week, however wintry weather has postponed play until next week.
Franklin Co. 0 9 13 16 - 38
Shelbyville 12 10 13 17 - 59
Franklin Co.: Lucy Barnes 8, Macy Pittenger 6, Hedi Seay 6, Mikah Brannon 4, Katie Walker 4, Destiny Russell 4, Madison Partin 3, Daryn Morris 3.
Shelbyville: Kendall Dearing 26, Kelsey Harden 16, Lilly Brown 9, Paige Blackburn 6, Zoe Reed 2.
3-Point goals: Shelbyville (6): Dearing 4, Harden, Blackburn; Franklin Co. (6): Seay 2, Pittenger 2, Morris, Partin.
9
Halftime score: Shelbyville 22, Franklin Co. 9
