The Greeneville Greene Devils took on the Upperman Bees in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal at Murphy Center on Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Upperman girls won 64-49. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Kyla Jobe made a big-time declaration Thursday night in the press room, following Greeneville’s 64-49 loss to Upperman in the Class 3A state quarterfinals.
The junior guard let it be known that the Lady Greene Devils will be, at least, reaching the state semifinals in 2025.
“I’m tired of losing the first game,” she said. “We’re not going to let that happen when we come back next year.
“We have to come out swinging. I think we came out timid.”
Jobe was right. She scored 18, and Anna Shaw 17, but the late rally Greeneville put on in the fourth didn’t allow it to overcome the massive obstacle it created for itself in the first half and into the third quarter.
Upperman (29-6) made 17 of 28 field goals through three quarters and never relinquished its double-digit lead in the second half, no matter what scares Greeneville (21-15) threw their way.
Gracie Butler scored 23 points for Upperman and Taylor Dolente — who has now made 110 3-pointers this season — added 18 points, all on 3s.
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At one point this season, Greeneville stood 5-10 in late December yet wound up evolving enough to win the Region 1-3A Tournament championship.
Then it took down Northview Academy in overtime in the 3A sectionals to return to the state tournament for a third consecutive year.
But the program’s last state tournament win came in 2006.
And it’ll have to wait until another year to snap that skid, as the Lady Greene Devils have dropped their last six state quarterfinal appearances.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
Greeneville found offensive production hard to manufacture against Upperman, especially in the first half. The Lady Greene Devils trailed 27-13 at the break and didn’t reach double figures on the scoreboard until the 4:38 mark of the second quarter.
Greeneville shot 23.5 percent from the floor through the first 16 minutes. It got beat on the boards, 18-9.
Meanwhile, Upperman’s sophomore guard Dolente rarely missed from deep. She went 3 of 4 from the 3-point line in the first half.
The only mistake Upperman really made was not scoring the final 3:07 of the second quarter.
Even so, the Lady Bees shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.
The Lady Greene Devils threatened to cut Upperman’s lead to 10 in the early minutes of the third. But on one possession, Greeneville missed three 3s and a chip-shot attempt in the paint. Upperman finally got a rebounded and pushed the ball the length of the court for a layup and 32-17 lead with 5:57 left in the quarter.
Dolente added her fourth 3 roughly 35 seconds later, and the Lady Bees led by 18.
That buffer swelled to 22 late in the third on another trey by Dolente. Upperman led 49-28 with eight minutes to play.
Greeneville woke up for the opening stretch of the fourth, ramping up its defensive efforts. Jobe’s corner 3 at the 6:30 mark of the fourth trimmed Upperman’s advantage to 49-35, forcing the Lady Bees to call a timeout and refocus.
And they did. Upperman upped its lead to 18 just minutes later.
Anna Shaw and Jobe combined for a 7-0 run near the midpoint of the fourth, cutting the deficit to 55-45.
“At one of my last timeouts, I asked them, ‘How many of you believe we can do this?'” Greeneville coach Annette Watts said. “Of course, five little hands went up. ‘We can do this, Coach.
“I said, ‘We have to do the basic, fundamental things right. We have to trap and run through that pass. When we cut it to 10, I thought it would rattle (Upperman). But it really didn’t rattle them as much as I wanted it to, because their shots kept falling.”
Dolente answered back with a 3, her sixth of the contest.
Upperman led by 10 or more the final 20:12 of the quarterfinal.
SHAW’S MILESTONE
Greeneville guard Anna Shaw, a soccer standout by trade, scored her 1,000th career point Thursday. She needed 12 to reach it. She wound up with 17.
“Whatever I do, I want to give it a hundred (percent),” Shaw said. “I want to give it all I can. Soccer, I’ve always liked it more and enjoyed it more.
“But when I get on the basketball court, it’s not like I’m going to play less hard because I don’t like it as much. This season has definitely been my favorite season so far. I’ve had the most fun I’ve had out of my entire basketball career this season.”
5STAR PHOTOS powered by SmartBank — Greeneville vs. Upperman (2023 Class 3A Quarterfinals)