CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Rossview Hawks and Henry County Patriots met up at West Creek High School for the Region 7-4A tournament semifinals Monday. The Hawks had a hot night shooting from outside the arc, but couldn’t get enough baskets down the stretch, and the No. 1-seeded Patriots advanced with a 45-37 win, ending Rossview’s season. 

The Hawks’ game plan was clear from the beginning. If the Patriots were going to double forward Ellie Hankemeier (which anyone in their right mind would with the season she’s having), then they were going to let the guards rain it down from outside. It worked early on, with Rossview hitting five threes in the first quarter, including three from guard Prapti Patel, a girl who has barely seen the floor this year for the Hawks, but stepped up when it mattered.

The Hawks’ offense cooled in the second, but they kept pace shot-for-shot with the Patriots. Henry County slowly built a lead in the second half and never trailed after halftime, hitting their free throws late and eventually putting this one in the books.

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“We believed in the game plan, and I don’t know if they could have executed it much better,” said Hawks head coach Drew Smith. “Prapti was confident, and the longer you stay in a game with a heavyweight like Henry County, the belief starts to build. We just couldn’t get enough shots to fall down the stretch.

Memorable season for Rossview girls

Despite the loss, the Hawks can hang their heads high. As the year began, not many thought they would end up in a regional semifinal, much less with a shot to win it. For Smith, this was a season of ups and downs, but one he will never forget.

“Early in the year, it was all about sneaking up on teams, but about mid-January, we realized, hey, we can play with people,” said Smith. “If you had told me we would’ve been in that position three months ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. However, right now it hurts knowing that we could have done it, because I believe in that basketball team, I believed that we were good enough to win that game. I’m so proud, and I’m sad the ride is over, because that team had a few more surprises left.”

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