CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Rossview girls basketball hosted Gallatin Saturday in the Region 5-AAA quarterfinals.
In a game that featured numerous ebbs and flows for both sides, it was the Lady Hawks who were able to come out on top 63-56 and advance to the semifinals.
Relentless full-court pressure and a stifling zone defense from the Lady Hawks made it difficult for the Lady Wave to generate offense in the early going.
“We felt like that was something we could take advantage of,” said Rossview girls basketball coach Justin Woods. “They’re kind of point guard by committee. They don’t really have a solid one, so we thought we could get the job done with our defense. We were trapping corners a lot in the half-court and that seemed to give them problems too.”
With sharpshooting senior Chelsea Williams on the bench for most of the first half due to foul trouble, Lady Hawk sophomore Aubrey Padgett shouldered most of the scoring load.
“She’s an exciting player to watch,” Woods said. “She had 17 against Kenwood in the first round of the district tournament and I thought she played really well. She stepped up big for us tonight when we needed it because we were struggling to score there for awhile. I’m excited about her future. You want to see a kid like that succeed because she puts the time in and it matters to her.”
1st QTR- 3:42
@RossviewHoops’s Aubrey Padgett buries it from long range. Lady Hawks lead early in this one 9-3. pic.twitter.com/Y38dLt62dg— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 27, 2021
Key plays
With six minutes left to play in the first half, Padgett rattled off five consecutive points to extend Rossview’s lead to 23-11.
The Lady Wave then closed out the second quarter on a 10-4 run, taking advantage of three offensive fouls called on the Lady Hawks.
Woods discussed what happened specifically that led to the wheels falling off momentarily.
“We got in foul trouble,” Woods said. “We got called for a few push offs and we gave up an offensive rebound or two. Our bench stepped up and we were able to survive the first half up six.”
HALFTIME
@RossviewHoops 27@Lady_WaveBball 21Nice feed inside to Laci Edwards for the easy score. Pretty wild first half for both sides. pic.twitter.com/8utKfggh7u
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 27, 2021
Rossview freshman Torri James continues to give the Lady Hawks a spark off the bench with her exceptional rebounding ability and length on defense.
“We’ve talked to her about that a ton,” Woods said. “That’s her role. She’s really embraced it and she’s done a great job with it. When she hits the floor there’s an energy jump for us. It’s fun to see.”
Padgett led all scorers with 20 points while Williams finished with 14 points for the Lady Hawks.
4th QTR- 7:15
Chelsea Williams with a critical corner three to make it 45-35 @RossviewHoops. pic.twitter.com/t2mFovi05B— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 28, 2021
Jeremia Montgomery recorded 18 points followed by A’Niya Boone with 13 points for the Lady Wave.
Rossview travels to take on Lebanon Monday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in the Region 5-AAA semifinals.
Woods gave his thoughts on the matchup.
“I’ve watched them a little bit,” Woods said. “Cory (Barrett) and I are friends. He does a great job over there. Their team plays physical just like us and I think it’ll be a battle. We’ve met in the postseason a few times and it always is. I’m looking forward to it.”