THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Nashville High School Athletics

NASHVILLE -- Nashville Coach Paul Dean didn't know what to expect out of Magnolia going in to Sunday's regional final, but he knew he was going to get a great deal of effort from his red-hot ballclub. The Scrapperettes gave him that and more in front of a deafening crowd at Nashville Arena. A blistering second-quarter run opened the door for the Scrapperettes, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, to walk away with a 57-26 victory over the Lady Panthers to win the 4A South Region title. Lauren Carver posted 15 points to guide Nashville (30-2), which got offensive contributions from several to win its 30th game in a row. Yet it was the Scrapperettes' defense that paved the way to their win over a team that came in averaging nearly 65 points over its first two games of the tournament. But Dean wasn't quite sure how things would unfold, especially early on. "I'll be honest, I really didn't know what Magnolia was going to do," Dean explained. "They're very fast, very big and very athletic. Coach [Shanae] Williams does a great job, and she coaches to the kids she has. They all perform and excel at a very, very high level. "Shoot, I was really just praying it didn't get too bad for us because Magnolia is a really, really good team." Instead, it got tough for the Lady Panthers, particularly in that second quarter. Magnolia (22-5), which came in ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, scored the first points of the quarter on a lay-up from Shayla Doss with 7:31 left to cut a 15-9 Nashville lead down to four. But Kyleigh Scoggins drained a three-pointer on the other end to start a 16-0 run for Nashville. Carver had seven points during the spurt, including a nifty basket along the baseline to give Nashville a 31-11 lead. The Lady Panthers, who turned the ball over four times during that Nashville flurry, finally stopped the surge on lay-in from Bracelynn Glover with 1:59 to go in the half. But that long scoring drought proved costly and provided Nashville the opportunity it needed to break free. "These kids have worked hard all year," said Dean, whose team led 35-15 at halftime. "They focus, they try. ... I've really been proud of their effort all year long. That's the biggest thing about it all, their effort has just been tremendous." Dean was especially happy with the way Aaliyah Hollins played against the Lady Panthers' front line. The sophomore scored 11 points and kept several possessions alive by either running down loose balls or corralling rebounds inside. "She's got a lot of ability, a whole lot," Dean said. "What she did [Sunday] did not surprise me one bit. We've got so many juniors and seniors that can play that she's at the end of the line as far as that goes. But when she gets her opportunity, she steps up every time. "Any time she gets that chance, she performs well." Doss opened the third quarter with a three, but a bucket from Carver began an 11-1 run that allowed Nashville to run away with a win. Scoggins turned in 12 points and Sidney Townsend had seven points for Nashville. Doss scored 13 points and Glover ended with eight points for Magnolia, which was held to its lowest scoring output of the season and had its 16-game win streak snapped.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Nashville High School Athletics

NASHVILLE RUNS STREAK TO 30 IN A ROW

ERICK TAYLOR

Democrat Gazette | 2/28/2022