SPRINGFIELD, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Rossview Hawks, Clarksville Wildcats, Kirkwood Cobras and Springfield Yellowjackets all met up at Kirkwood High School for the District 13-4A tournament semifinals on Monday. Rossview and Clarksville emerged victorious, and will meet in the district championship game on Wednesday at Springfield High. Meanwhile, Springfield and Kirkwood will play in the third-place game on Wednesday.

Rossview’s last-second stop

The Rossview Hawks and Springfield Yellow Jackets kicked off the night with an intense game that came down to the wire. A physical, defensive battle saw the Hawks take a late lead by one, 43-42, powered by 17 points from Ellie Hankemeir, who led all scorers. However, after Rossview was called for a five-second inbound violation, the Yellow Jackets were handed one last opportunity to win the game. Luckily for the Hawks, the shot fell just short, and the No. 1 seed escaped with a one-point victory.

Imani Evans as the Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
Ellie Hankemeier as the Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Rossview Hawks defeated the Springfield Yellow Jackets on February 24 (Knox Rives)

“It wasn’t our best performance, but in the postseason, you find a way to win,” said Hawks head coach Clay Head. “We made some hustle plays down the stretch, and that’s what won us the game. The week off hurt us, but we fought through that. We need to clean things up, but I truly believe we’re going to come out and play great basketball on Wednesday.”

Wildcats defense overwhelms Kirkwood

As for Kirkwood versus Clarksville High, the Cobras were able to hold Clarksville to well under their season average scoring, while also staying within striking distance. In the end, however, Kirkwood couldn’t get much going offensively as Wildcats junior guard Shakiah Vance heated up from range, leading all scorers with 18 points, as the Wildcats carried themselves to a 41-23 victory.

The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
Alaya Harris as the Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)
The Clarksville High Wildcats defeated the Kirkwood Cobras on February 24 (Knox Rives)

“We did a good job defensively; the moment just got the best of us,” said Kirkwood head coach Micah Rochester. “We got down early, and against a team like that, it’s hard to crawl out of. We’ll learn from it and hopefully will play better on Wednesday. That game with Springfield is personal.”

“We knew we were going to come out with great energy, and we played hard,” said Wildcats head coach Brian Rush. “If we can hold teams to 22 points, we can win a lot of games doing that. We know it’s going to be two good teams going at each other, and we’re playing for pride.”

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