Sequoyah returned to the region tournament for the third straight season but saw the campaign close in the Region 3-3A quarterfinals with a 59-36 defeat at District 6-3A champion Soddy-Daisy.
“We were ready to play, but could not get shots to fall down the stretch. Defensively, they kept fighting and kept digging,” Sequoyah coach Allyson Bowers said. “I am super proud of how far they have come. From where they were at the beginning of November to where we are at the end of February.”
The game was a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal where Sequoyah advanced with a 10-point win. The Lady Chiefs (8-21) fell behind in the second quarter Friday night after keeping pace with Soddy-Daisy (21-11) in the first.
“It is something they can hang their hat on and I am proud of the performance they took down to Soddy-Daisy,” Bowers said.
Haley Carroll and Emily Hunt hit a 3-pointer each in Sequoyah’s first quarter, but the Lady Trojans’ offense started to pull away in the second.
Leading scorer Hannah Patterson knocked down a triple and two more field goals as part of Soddy-Daisy’s 18-10 second quarter. Sequoyah found points from Camryn Elgin and Dana Harmon, but foul trouble was forcing the Lady Chiefs to make changes.
“We got into foul trouble early and that hurt us quite a bit. I had to go to my bench a lot faster than I had been in the recent games,” Bowers said.
Carroll and Kaiti Johnson picked up two fouls each in the first quarter, forcing Bowers to make adjustments.
“You take Kaiti Johnson out of the post and you take quick feet and long arms out of there. That changes things on both ends,” Bowers added. “We continued to get players in foul trouble. I think four of my five starters had two fouls each at halftime. That is hard to manage because you have to play with a different mindset.”
Per Bowers, Sequoyah was not able to get back into rhythm after the changes.
“I think (the bench) did a pretty good job when they came in. But it got us kind of out of sync, we are not going to the bench that early,” Bowers said. “We had to contain as much as we could in the second quarter. I think foul trouble kind of got to us and affected the quarter.”
Carroll added two more 3-pointers in the second half and the Lady Chiefs found more points from Johnson, Hunt, Megan Ladd and Addy Lyndsey, but Soddy-Daisy’s nine second half field goals kept the hosts in front.
The Lady Trojans made six 3-pointers on the night while shooting 19 for 24 at the line. Sequoyah went 5 for 14.
Johnson and Chloe Summey are the lone seniors on Sequoyah’s roster.
“We are losing a lot of leadership when those two graduate. They are two phenomenal student-athletes,” Bowers said. “They lead by example in the classroom and in the hallways. It is just a joy to be around both of those kids.”
Both are dual-sport athletes.
“It has been a joy to watch them grow up from girls to young women. I am just excited to see what God has for their future,” Bowers added. “Both of them are determined young ladies. They both have servant’s hearts and I am excited to see what the future holds for them.”
Fulton advanced to the region quarterfinals with a win over Red Bank. Lenoir City eliminated East Hamilton while Signal Mountain beat Austin-East.
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