Lady Warriors roll into region semifinals
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Bentley Cronic knocks down a long 3-point shot during the region tournament win over West Hall Tuesday night in Cleveland. (Photo/Mark Turner)
The plan was simple for the White County Lady Warriors' region tournament opener against West Hall – Survive and advance.
The Lady Warriors did just that Tuesday night in Cleveland, blasting the Lady Spartans in a 69-32 rout.
The win secured a spot in the Region 7-AAAA semifinals and guarantees the team a spot in the Class AAAA tournament.
WCHS was the host for two other opening round games. Chestatee posted a 58-29 win over Denmark, while Flowery Branch rolled by Blessed Trinity 68-35.
On Thursday, the girls' semifinals will take place at Flowery Branch High School.
The Lady Warriors will take on Flowery Branch in the opening game at 4 p.m., with Chestate and Marist, the No. 1 seed, tipping off at 7 p.m.
The Lady Warriors' matchup with the Lady Falcons is the second meeting between the two teams in a week. WCHS knocked off Flowery Branch last Friday night by a 45-41 in the season finale.
The Lady Warriors swept the regular season series with the Lady Falcons, but Davenport knows the Lady Falcons will put up a battle with a spot in the region championship game on the line.
“We just played them last week, and its tough to beat a team more than once or twice in a season,” Davenport said. “They know what we're going to do, we know what they are going to do. You have to add some wrinkles and you have to execute. At the end of the day, players make plays, and who ever makes the most plays, is going to win.”
The win over West Hall means the Lady Warriors have a ticket to the big dance that is the Class AAAA state tournament. The squad is in the state field for the third consecutive season during Davenport's four-year stint with the program.
“When I came four years ago, I wanted to build a tradition, “Davenport said. “I wanted White County to be respected around the state, and I think are heading in that direction, but we've got to keep plugging at it.”
The two winners from Thursday night's semifinal game will meet Saturday at 6 p.m. at Flowery Branch for the region championhip.
The two losers from the semfinal games will play at 3 p.m. to determine the third and fourth seeds for state tournemant play.