By Dennis Holley ~ Sports Writer
CORNERSVILLE — On Tuesday night With the 2021/2022 basketball season slipping away quickly, the Cornersville Lady Bulldogs (6-10, 1-5) entertained the Eagleville Lady Eagles (13-10, 2-3) on Tuesday night, with both teams hoping to improve their seeding for the upcoming district tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs slipped by the Lady Eagles in Eagleville by a 31-30 score back on January 14 but this time the Lady Eagles used balanced scoring from all five starters to come away with a 53-38 victory to split the season series.
Eagleville had four starters score in double figures, with Eliza McClaron leading the way with 12 points.
The Lady Bulldogs were led in scoring by Anna Wood with 11 points with Jayli Childress adding 10 points.
Cornersville controlled the tip-off, but a turnover gave it to the Lady Eagles who then promptly turned it over to give it back to the Lady Bulldogs as both teams shook off the early game butterflies.
Alicia Polk got Cornersville on the board first with a 10-foot jumper, but Eagleville’s Meah Thompson sank a long 3-pointer from the corner to put the Lady Eagles ahead, 3-2.
Isabella Sawyer for the Lady Eagles sank a free-throw and a bucket to push the Eagleville led to 6-2.
Childress for Cornersville made two free-throws to cut the Eagleville lead in half 6-4.
Eagleville used a half-court press that gave the Lady Bulldogs fits, and Eagleville’s Alex Klarer poured in six points as the Lady Eagles eased out into an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 17-9.
The second quarter saw the Lady Eagles pressing and forcing errors by the Lady Bulldogs and Brini Bain sank two long 3-pointers and McClaron added five points.
Cornersville could only reply with Polk and Wood making baskets and at the end of the first half Eagleville had pushed the lead to fifteen points, 28-13.
The third quarter opened with the two teams trading baskets with Eagleville’s McClaron and Klarer sinking buckets countered by Cornersville’s Katie Powers working strong inside adding four points and Childress bombing a 3-pointer.
The Lady Bulldogs closed to within 12 points, 34-22 with 1:56 to go in the third quarter but Eagleville went on a 5-2 run to finish the quarter to maintain a comfortable lead, 39-24.
Wood and Annabells Mulliniks gave the Cornersville faithful hope with back-to-back 3-pointers but McClaron, Thompson and Bain went on a 6-0 run to end the game as the Lady Bulldogs could not complete the sweep and the Lady Eagles came away with a 53-38 victory.
The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Ardmore, Al for an out of state game Friday night before welcoming Moore County next Tuesday night to wind up District 9 play.
The Lady Bulldogs end the regular season February 10, traveling to neighboring Culleoka.
Eagleville 17 11 15 10 — 53
Cornersville 9 4 11 14 — 38
Eagleville (53): Eliza McClaron 12, Alex Klarer 10, Brini Bain 10, Meah Thompson 10, Isabella Sawyer 9, Shelby Mooneyham 2.
3-Point Goals (4): Bain 2, McClaron 2, Thompson Sawyer.
Free Throws (7-11): Klarer 2-for-2, Thompson 1-for-3, Bain 2-for-2, Sawyer 2-for-4.
Cornersville (38): Anna Wood 11, Jayli Childress 10, Alicia Polk 8, Katie Powers 4, Annabelle Mulliniks 3, Ady Gentry 2.
3-Point Goals (3): Childress, Wood, Mulliniks.
Free Throws (5-7): Childress 3-for-4, Wood 2-for-3.
Halftime Score: Eagleville 28, Cornersville 13.
