Elizabethton left no doubt in the second half.
The Lady Cyclones outscored Knox Halls 35-19 in the second half to pull away for a 57-40 victory in the Class 3A Sectional to earn a second straight trip to Murfreesboro.
Elizabethton will open the Class 3A BlueCross Basketball Championships on Tuesday with the bracket and game time to be announced later in the weekend.
It was a tight battle in the opening 16 minutes.
Lina Lyon provided an early spark for the Lady Cyclones as she scored eight points in the opening eight minutes, and Elizabethton held a slim 14-11 lead after a quarter of play.
The second quarter was much the same as a balanced Elizabethton attack was able to maintain a slim 22-21 advantage at the half.
After Halls took a 23-22 lead to open the third quarter, the Lady Cyclones got things cranking and never looked back.
Elizabethton used a 10-0 run to regain the lead, and pushed the lead to 46-34 going to the final quarter.
The fourth quarter saw Elizabethton keep Halls at bay to secure the win.
Lyon had 21 points to lead the Elizabethton attack.
Renna Lane scored 11 points, while Marlee Mathena added 10 points. Reiley Whitson tossed in eight points.
The final moments and celebration for the @CyclonesLady pic.twitter.com/IVDV0dCuT1
— Carter County Sports (@CarterCoSports) March 5, 2023
