Someone forgot to tell the Elizabethton girls basketball team they were the No. 5 seed in the District 1-AA tournament.
The Lady Cyclones completed their run through the tournament with a 56-42 victory over Sullivan South to claim the District 1-AA title on Warrior Hill. EHS won by an average of 18 points over the course of their three tournament games.
With the win, Elizabethton nabbed a No. 1 seed in the Region 1-AA tournament and will host Cumberland Gap on Friday at 7 p.m., in the opening round.
On Monday night, Elizabethton played the role of dominant team.
Katie Bailey and Kaylen Shell hit early shots to give EHS a 4-0 lead. South answered as the Lady Rebels reeled off six unanswered points. Morgan Headrick snapped the run with a 3-pointer to regain the lead with 2:53 to play in the first quarter – it would turn out to be the last lead change of the night.
Elizabethton held a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After South drained a 3-pointer to open the second quarter, Shell and Cheyenne VanHuss hit back-to-back 3-pointers to once again seize the momentum for Elizabethton. That kicked off a 12-3 run to push the lead to double-digits. The Lady Rebels cut the lead to eight points, but Bailey and Headrick made plays to send Elizabethton into the half 29-18 at the half.
In the third quarter, the teams traded shots for the first four minutes of the frame. Elizabethton, however, took full control again with the trio of Bailey, Headrick and Shell to push the lead to 41-29 going to the fourth quarter.
In the final stanza, Elizabethton took care of business going 11-of-14 at the free throw line and holding South without a field goal for over six minutes – which was nearly 10 minutes going back into the third quarter – to secure the win.
Headrick led the way with 16 points, while Bailey and Shell had 13 points apiece. VanHuss scored nine points in the win.
Elizabethton saw Headrick, Shell and Torrie Roberts selected to the All-Tournament team, while Bailey was named the MVP.
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