Carter girls’ basketball wins 2020 Region 2-AA championship. The program’s first since 2001. (Photo: Carter Hornets)
Carter’s girls weren’t just content to be in their first regional finals in 19 years.
They wanted to show they belong.
Boy, do they ever.
The surging Lady Hornets took the Region 2-AA tournament title Wednesday night at Fulton with a 63-61 win over Gatlinburg-Pittman.
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“We wanted it (the region championship) more than anything – we’re shocking people,” said Lady Hornets junior guard Sydney Hurst, who scored 18 points and was named tournament MVP.
Carter last won a regional title in 2001 when it beat Kingston at Lenoir City in five overtimes.
“I’m so excited for the girls, our community and our program,” said Lady Hornets coach Bo Lewis.
“It has been a long time coming for the Lady Hornets’ program.”
Carter next has a chance to do what that 2001 team couldn’t accomplish: advance to the state tournament.
The Lady Hornets (21-11) host Grainger (31-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday in a sectional elimination game.
Grainger, in an upset, lost 50-40 to Elizabethton (23-10) in the Region 1-AA championship game on Wednesday.
Gatlinburg-Pittman advances to its sixth consecutive sectional as the Lady Highlanders (21-11) travel to Carter County to face the Lady Cyclones on Saturday.
Sectional winners move on to state tournament play next week in Murfreesboro.
Wednesday’s back-and-forth game featured five ties and nine lead changes.
Carter led most of the second half and built its biggest lead (55-48) with 5:42 to play.
Senior guard Jordan Heifner hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds to play to give Carter a 63-58 lead.
G-P guard Shelby Moore hit a 3-pointer with four seconds to play to cut the gap to 63-61, but Carter didn’t have to inbound the ball as time ran out.
The teams split four games this season.
The Lady Hornets have won 10 of their last 11 games and G-P coach Katie Moore said Hurst is a big reason for Carter’s late-season improvement.
“Their No. 3 (Hurst) has stepped up tremendously down the stretch,” said Moore.
“In this game she did a great job of attacking the rim. Her stepping up has helped them tremendously.”
Carter also got 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks from senior inside presence Zarria Clark, who was 7 of 8 from the floor.
Heifner added 12 points while senior guard Evie DePetro had nine points, seven assists and five rebounds.
DePetro also did a nice job defensively on G-P standout Ivy Bales.
The Lady Hornets attacked the basket from the opening tap and it showed in their shooting percentage.
Carter made 21 of its 36 field goal tries (58 percent).
“They were pretty much getting to the rim or knocking down shots,” said Moore.
“Offensively, they put on a clinic.”
Senior guard Shelby Moore topped G-P with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Bales contributed 12 points and Sydney McCarty 11 for the Lady Highlanders.
Both Lewis and Moore are confident about their teams’ chances heading into sectional play Saturday.
“It would have been nice to host, but as a team we don’t play much differently on the road than we do at home,” said Moore.
“I think that’s in our favor.”
Lewis said the Lady Hornets just have to keep doing the things that have taken them to the next level over the last dozen games.
The makeover has been remarkable.
“It has just been a team effort the last six weeks by our girls,” he said.
“We picked up a new phrase lately. It’s ‘having a championship mindset.’”