It wasn’t easy, but Unaka came out on top.
The Lady Rangers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 37-35 victory over Cosby in the Region 1-A Semifinal at Cocke County High School. With the win, Unaka clinched a spot in the Region 1-A Championship game against Cloudland as well as a substate berth on Saturday.
In the first quarter, both offenses had trouble getting going. Myah Parlier scored an early bucket for Unaka, but that was the only points the Lady Rangers could put on the board in the first quarter.
Cosby, however, was limited to just four points in the frame.
In the second quarter, the Lady Eagles held an 8-4 lead before the Lady Rangers settled down. Parlier scored five points down the stretch and Lexi Garland added four points as Unaka took a 15-14 lead with 1:28 to play in the half. Cosby, however, hit a bucket late to take a 16-15 advantage into the half.
In the third quarter, the Lady Eagles quickly pushed their lead to six points. A 10-2 run gave Cosby a 36-17 advantage with 2:24 left in the third. Savannah Tipton and the Lady Rangers answered quickly as a Tipton trey and Parlier points sparked a quick UHS run to pull within four points going into the fourth quarter.
After the teams traded points to open the quarter, Parlier hit a bucket to tie the game at 32-32 with 3:36 left to play. With just under two minutes to play, Garland hit a pair of free throws to put Unaka up. In the final minute, the Lady Rangers denied a few Lady Eagle chances and held on for the win.
Parlier finished with 17 points to pace Unaka. Garland added eight points, while Erika Potter tallied six points.
