Kingston, TN –
By Justin Braden
Girls Basketball
The Midway Lady Wave defeated the Harriman Lady Devils 50-45 in the 1A-District 4 semi-finals on Thursday night.
For Midway (18-7, 8-1 in 1A-District 4), it was their third win over Harriman (8-19, 3-6 in 1A-District 4) this season, but it was also the closest contest of those three games.
Midway won the opening tip-off, and Lady Wave sophomore guard and District 4A player of the year Kyleigh Cawood scored first, attacking the paint and driving to the rim, but a few plays later, Harriman freshman Ansley Moore, an all-District 4A team selection in her first year drove to the basket to tie the game.
Freshman Tatum Collier attacked the basket next for Midway, drawing a foul and going to the line where she hit both free throws, then on the other end, Moore drove the basket again for the Lady Devils, but this time her shot was blocked by Midway junior Cloa Copeland.
"We have some drivers, and we just try to get the ball in certain spots and score. They came together when they had to and took care of business," said Midway head coach Michael Hayes.
Collier netted a three on the other end to extend Midway’s lead, but Harriman senior guard Hannah Wilson drained a three before the quarter expired to cut the Lady Wave’s lead to 1 point at the end of the first.
Wilson tied the game at 15, hitting a shot underneath the goal for the Lady Devils, and then Makayla Williams drove the lane for Harriman, drawing a foul before she hit her two free throws from the line to give Harriman its first lead of the game.
Midway junior Kiersten Ruffner was rotated in from the bench, and her impact was immediate as she knocked down a three to give the lead back to the Lady Wave before Midway junior Addie Armes stole the ball out of a 1-2-2 trap and drove the ball to the rim to extend the Midway lead to 3 in a game that Harriman would not lead again.
The Lady Devils used man-to-man defense throughout the game to limit Cawood’s scoring opportunities, keeping their fastest players covering her, but this allowed Armes and all-District 4A team selection Abbie Parks to use their speed to beat Harriman’s size inside the paint.
“Addie Armes played probably the best game she’s played all year. Parks got in foul trouble and that set her back a little bit,” said coach Hayes of his players’ performance.
In the fourth quarter, Harriman began a comeback and cut Midway's lead down to one possession, but all-District 4A team selection Kali Kile found herself at the line for the first time in the game with only 15 seconds remaining, and she netted a free throw to put the game out of reach for the Lady Devils, and into the hands of the Lady Wave with a 50-45 final.
Harriman senior Hannah Wilson and Midway senior Kali Kile were the only seniors to play in this game, starting for their respective teams also, but that speaks strongly to the future of both basketball programs, with both teams slated to return 4 starters next season.
On Tuesday, Midway will host Oakdale (14-10, 6-3 in 1A-District 4) for the Region 4A championship. The Lady Wave defeated the Lady Eagles twice in the regular season, 50-37 in December and 44-36 in January, but coach Hayes knows that Midway will have to be a more complete team to win that game.
“We’ve got to value the ball better. We’ve got to shoot free throws better. We’ve got to rebound better.”
MVP of the game – Kyleigh Cawood. Cawood had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Midway, with 9 of those rebounds coming on offense. The second-chance opportunities were the difference maker in the Lady Wave’s 5-point win.
Harriman 12 9 10 14 - 45
Midway 13 10 13 14 - 50
Leading Scorers
Harriman (8-19):
Ansley Moore 9, Makayla Williams 9, Hannah Wilson 8, Aaralyn Humphrey 7
Midway (18-7):
Addie Armes 14, Kyleigh Cawood 12, Tatum Collier 10, Abbie Parks 6
Follow Justin Braden on X @jkbradenco for more prep sports coverage and an opportunity to comment on this article and others. Criticism and feedback of the media improve the quality of coverage given to student-athletes in east Tennessee.
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