Bonus Coverage: Greenfield falls in state semifinals to Richland in OT heartbreaker

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions

Greenfield’s quest for a second straight TSSAA Class A State Championship came up just short on Friday evening in the final semifinal game of the day as the Lady ’Jackets fell 46-37 to Richland in the state semifinals in the Murphy Center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

“I knew coming into the game, they were going to have a lot help side on these two,” Greenfield Head Coach Tori Liggett said, referring to Rayana Fisher and Ella Porter. “They were going to make our less experienced players, in that big moment, handle the ball and try to make something happen offensively.

“I think we kind of settled in the first half for shots that we should have taken to the rim. Which happens. Great game plan. Kind of knew what the game plan would be but we didn’t get shots to fall that fall a lot of the times for us.”

Greenfield trailed by seven heading into the third quarter but the Lady ’Jackets had a much stronger third quarter after a dismal finish to the first half. Though a couple of early Richland buckets helped the Lady Raiders take an eight-point lead with 6:05 left in the frame. This is when Greenfield went on its run as an Ella Porter bucket sparked a 10-0 run capped by a pair of Rayanna Fisher free throws to give the Lady ’Jackets a brief lead. Richland quickly responded with a bucket from Baylee Hollis to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 30-30.

“I just told them that they were going to have to get the ball to the rim,” Greenfield’s head coach said of the team’s halftime adjustments. “We were going to have to quit settling and draw the defense in then kick back out.

“We didn’t get a lot of three-point shots off tonight. I don’t feel like that we shot a lot of set threes. They did a good job of running us off the line and had a lot of help inside. The adjustments we made at halftime – I told them we’re going to have to be tied at the end of the third quarter. Whatever it takes, you have to be tied. It has to be 0-0 going into the fourth. And, it was tied at the end of the third and I told them ‘hey, brand new ballgame’.”

The fourth frame looked to be about draining the clock and getting a lead. Fisher hit an early three-pointer but Greenfield was never able to capitalize and gain some real offensive momentum.

But, neither was Richland. The Lady Raiders trailed until a Hollis free throw tied the game at 37-37 with 3:38 left in regulation. Over the next two minutes, both teams had multiple chances to get the lead but neither could convert their shots into a lead as the game went into overtime tied at 37.

Coming off an emotional game the night before against Van Buren, Greenfield seemed to run out of gas during the extra four minutes of action. The Lady ’Jackets were 0-for-5 from the field in the overtime while Richland scored nine unanswered to get the win and advance to Saturday night’s championship game against Middleton.

“I do think that we were a little leg-weary from last night’s game,” Liggett added. “We had a big, high-stress intense game last night.

“I think that kind of played a part in it. Hey, it happens. That’s just kind of what we ran into.”

Liggett added having to dig out of a seven-point halftime deficit also contributed to the wear the team felt during the overtime frame.

Fisher lead Greenfield with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Porter added 17 in the season-ending loss.

“I give credit to these two for trying to make it happen,” the Greenfield coach said of her two high-scorers.

The loss end the Lady ’Jackets’ season with a 30-3 record.

“I couldn’t have asked them to play any harder,” Liggett said. “They dug in and they definitely gave me all that they had.”

For a physical copy of this article, look for it in an upcoming edition of the Dresden Enterprise.

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