Ella Eads enters 1,000-point club in final game

HARTSVILLE-The Clay County Lady Bulldogs’ postseason run came to an end here at the hands of Trousdale County in the Region 4-A Quarterfinals Friday night.

The Lady Dawgs wrapped up their season with a 12-16 record, after being eliminated by the Lady Yellow Jackets by a score of 56-43.

The loss closed the books on the careers of seniors Ella Eads and Baylor Walden, who finished their campaigns with a 75-48 overall record and a district title.

They also appeared in three District 7-A Championship games, two Region 4-A Championship games, two Class A Sectionals, and one State Tournament.

“They’ve both had great careers and played some of their best ball down the stretch of their junior and senior years,” Lady Dawg head coach Matt Walker said of Eads and Walden.  “Last year they shot the ball extremely well against Clarkrange in the district semifinals setting up our substate run and this year they turned into very good leaders.

“Their poise against Red Boiling Springs to get us into the region tournament showed great leadership and maturity, and I’m proud to have watched them grow and develop throughout their careers.”

Both Eads (1st team) and Walden (honorable mention) were awarded all-conference honors this year.

Eads also entered the elite 1,000-point club in her final game and was named to the District 7-A All-Tournament team alongside her junior teammate Natalie Smith last week.

Prior to their elimination, Clay County won the District 7-A Consolation game by a score of 46-40 over Clarkrange (13-19) to finish as the conference’s #3 seed and set up their battle with District 8-A #2 seed Trousdale County (11-13).

The Lady Yellow Jackets advanced to face Jackson County (21-9) in one of two Region 4-A Semifinals set to be played in Gordonsville Monday night, with the other featuring Pickett County (19-11) and the host Tigerettes (26-4).

4-A QUARTERFINAL

Lady Dawgs…………43

Trousdale Co..………56

Senior Ella Eads led all scorers with 20 points and scored her 1,000th point here last Friday night in what turned out to be her final game, after Trousdale County beat Clay County 56-43 in the Region 4-A Quarterfinals.

Eads helped her team keep pace with the Lady Yellow Jackets early with a pair of first-quarter three-pointers, but the Lady Dawgs still trailed 16-13 heading into the second stanza.

Senior Baylor Walden then drained a three of her own to regain the lead for Clay County midway through the second quarter, before Eads and Natalie Smith, who finished with 10 points, made baskets to send the Lady Dawgs into halftime ahead 25-23.

Trousdale County went on to outscore Clay County 18-9 in the third quarter to go up 41-34 heading into the final frame, before the Lady Yellow Jackets increased their margin to double-digits and put the game away at the free-throw line down the stretch.

LADY DAWGS (43)-Ella Eads 20, Natalie Smith 10, Haylen Garrison 7, Baylor Walden 3, Tyla Adams 2, Brooklyn Scott 1.

7-A CONSOLATION

Lady Dawgs…………46

Clarkrange..…………40

The Lady Dawgs set up their region opener with Trousdale County with a 46-40 victory over Clarkrange in the District 7-A Consolation game, where Ella Eads, Baylor Walden, and Natalie Smith all three broke into double figures.

Eads led the way with 13 points, while both Walden and Smith added 12 each in the victory.

Eads and Smith combined to score the game’s first nine points before the Lady Buffaloes found the basket, and Clay County maintained a 12-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Then in the second stanza, the Lady Dawgs went ahead by as many as 10 points twice, before Clarkrange made it a 19-15 game at intermission with a 6-0 run to close out the first half.

The third quarter saw the teams play almost even, before the Lady Buffaloes scored before the buzzer to slice the Clay County margin to 30-28 heading into the final frame.

Clarkrange then tied the game at 33 midway through the fourth quarter, but Walden immediately provided the answer.

She sparked a Lady Dawg 7-0 run by completing a traditional three-point play and also sank a pair from the line to increase Clay County’s lead to 40-33, before they held on down the stretch for the six-point victory.

LADY DAWGS (46)-Ella Eads 13, Baylor Walden 12, Natalie Smith 12, Brooklyn Scott 5, Haylen Garrison 4.