Buckets wouldn’t come easy for Walnut or East Union in their 1-2A district tournament matchup on Monday night at Pine Grove.
The first bucket wasn’t scored until nearly 5 minutes had passed in the first quarter, as both teams locked in knowing they needed a win to keep their season alive.
The Lady Urchins struck first, but the Lady Wildcats held on late and they advance in the tournament and into the 2A playoffs after a thrilling 54-52 win over East Union.
Freshman phenom Kaylee Estes paced the Lady Wildcats early, scoring the first 7 points for Walnut and dropping a crucial 12 first half points as Walnut took a 20-17 lead into the locker room.
After being held to just 4 first half points, Madi Vuncannon asserted herself in the third period and kept pace with a rejuvenated Lady Urchins offense, as Vuncannon put up 13 points in the period for Walnut to go into the fourth period with a 38-34 advantage.
After another back and forth exchange, the Lady Urhins had a chance to tie the game with the ball down 3 points with 11 seconds to go. A three pointer from Lady Urchin Caroline Sherwood fell short, though, and Harley Garner was able to corral the rebound and draw a foul, where she iced 1/2 free throws to ensure the Walnut victory.
Harley Garner ices the game with a free throw and Walnut punches their ticket to the 2A playoffs with a mail bitter, 54-52 over East Union. pic.twitter.com/ZMtDRDkumZ
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
