Lady Panthers hit road hoping to keep season alive
The Bartlett High Girls will have a tougher road to state and will hit the road after Arlington High pulled out another nail-biting win, 44-42, against the Lady Panthers on Wednesday, March 2, to win the Region 8 4A Championship.
With the game tied at 42 and time running out, Arlington center Taylor Dupree was able to grab an offensive rebound on a missed 3-pointer and was fouled with 8.8 seconds remaining.
Dupree calmly swished both free throws and then Bartlett guard Kennedy Claybrooks hustled the ball up court and drove the lane. It looked as if Claybrooks might take the shot, but she dished it to center Mallory Collier down low. Dupree was able to tip the pass and it bounced off Collier’s leg and was gathered in by Arlington’s Alindsey Long.
Bartlett saw a 38-33 lead in the fourth quarter vanish, getting outscored by the Lady Tigers 11-4 in the final frame. It was deja vu from just over a week earlier when a late scoring run by Arlington led to a 48-43 victory over the Lady Panthers.
Bartlett (26-9) will now travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to take on Rossview High. That game tips at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 5. The winner advances to the state tournament, the loser’s season ends.
Rossview (26-3) defeated crosstown Clarksville foe Northwest High School 55-46 on Wednesday.
Arlington (24-4) will get to play at home Saturday, March 5, against Northwest High (22-11) with the tip at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the state tournament.
