Tippah County Sports

Lady Wildcats advance in 2A playoffs with thrilling win over East Union

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.

WATCH A REPLAY OF THE GAME HERE.

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.

Vuncannon led all scorers with 22 points. Estes added 17.

Walnut moves on to face #1 ranked Belmont on Tuesday.

Jon Ross Myers

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

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