Game 20 – Bartlett 55, Knox Catholic 52

In one of the most intense games to date in the tournament, Bartlett from West Tennessee held on for a 55-52 win over the Irish of Knox Catholic. Bartlett advances to the tourney semifinals on Friday and will play in the 9 p.m. nightcap.

The two squads battled tooth-and-nail for the majority of the game, with Catholic holding a slender advantage most of the way. It was 19-15 after one quarter and 36-27 at intermission.

Bartlett began to chip away in the third quarter and had the deficit cut down to 41-39 going into the final period. The Panthers drew even at 41-41 on a bucket by Shamari Hamlett to start the quarter. The score then see-sawed with Sydney Maines giving the Irish their final lead of the contest with just over two minutes left at 47-45.

Hamlett knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:35 left and put her team up 48-47, then after a Catholic turnover when they couldn’t get the inbounds pass within the five second allotment, Carrington Jones threaded the needle from the deep corner to boost the Panthers to a 51-47 lead.

Catholic could get no closer than two points the rest of the way.

Jones and Hamlett were top scorers for Bartlett with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Maines torched the nets with 26 for the Irish, who will play in Friday’s 3 p.m. loser’s bracket game.

CATHOLIC (52): Swain 0-0 0-0 0, Krueger 3-6 0-2 6, Perry 0-1 0-0 0, Flores 2-15 3-6 7, Walker 1-4 0-0 3, Redd 2-3 2-2 6, Sydney Maines 10-21 3-4 26, Frana 1-2 2-2 4. TOTALS: 19-52 10-16 52.

BARTLETT (55): Carrington Jones 9-19 1-2 19, Williams 2-4 0-0 6, Brooks 0-1 0-0 0, Sheffield 0-1 0-0 0 Woods 0-1 0-2 0, Rixter 2-4 4-6 8, Spates 0-2 0-0 0, Ward 0-3 0-0 0, Shamari Hamlett 6-9 4-4 18, Jones 2-3 0-0 4. TOTALS: 21-47 9-14 55.

3-Point Goals: KC—4  (Maines 3, Walker), BHS—4 (Williams 2, Hamlett 2).