The 32nd Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic Tournament 2021
By J.D. VAUGHN Assistant Sports Editor Dec 31, 2021, Greeneville Sun Chris Stallings had known about the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic since the 1990s, and he and his Bullitt East girls out of Mount Washington, Kentucky, took full advantage of their first invite. Facing a Greeneville team making [...]
The 2021 Ladies’ Classic All-Tournament Team: Emma Egan, Bullitt East (MVP); Delana DeBusk, Greeneville (Defensive MVP); Gracie Merkle and Lilly Reid of Bullitt East; Lauren Bailey and Lindy Carter of Greeneville; Abby Holtman, Ryle (Ky.); Brooklyn Crouch and Abigail Johnson, Upperman; Alyssa Elswick, Shelby Valley (Ky.); Hanna Jones, Bradley Central; [...]
Bullitt East’s Lady Chargers from Kentucky are the 2021 Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies’ Classic champions after knocking off the Greeneville Lady Devils 64-52 in the title tilt Friday night at Hal Henard Gymnasium. The Lady Devils had the same problems a lot of squads have when facing the Lady Chargers, [...]
GAME 36 (Consolation/3rd Place) Upperman High doesn’t lose often in basketball, so maybe that thrilling two-point loss to Greeneville in the tournament semifinals Thursday stung the Bees. Whatever the case, they came out with guns blazing in the consolation game Friday and romped past Ryle High of Kentucky 65-36. The [...]
Bradley Central had little problem in racing past South Laurel (Ky.) 62-49 to earn fifth place in the tournament. The Bears had a slender 12-10 lead at the first horn, but took off in the second frame and extended their lead to 31-20 by intermission. South Laurel was unable to [...]
GAME 34 (Sixth Place) CLEVELAND EARNS 6th PLACE Cleveland High School earned sixth place in the Ladies’ Classic by virtue of a 45-40 win over Myers Park (NC). Cleveland was in total control most of the way, leading 36-20 at halftime and 45-27 heading into the fourth period. But there [...]
Shelby Valley’s (Ky.) Lady Cats came from behind in the fourth quarter and beat South Greene in a 53-52 thriller in a loser’s bracket finale. The Rebs led 26-21 at halftime and commanded a 40-34 advantage heading into the final period, but the Cats won the pivotal fourth quarter and [...]
Jefferson County took a 50-38 win over Daniel Boone in the early morning game Friday. The Patriots took the lead in the second stanza after trailing 11-7 after one period. They slipped into a 16-15 halftime lead, then took command in the third, outscoring the Blazers 18-9 to move into [...]
In what many visitors at the Ladies’ Classic dubbed “The Battle of the Bluegrass,” Bullitt East of Mt. Washington, Ky., beat Ryle High from Union, Ky., 67-55 to advance to the championship game Friday against Greeneville. Two of the top-ranked teams in the state of Kentucky, Bullitt and Ryle battled [...]
For the first time in the 32-year history of the Ladies Classic, which has always been played on Greeneville High’s home floor, the GHS Lady Devils are in the finals. The Devils used a terrific defensive effort to slip past Upperman 44-42 to advance to the championship game at 5 [...]
Myers Park (NC) staved off a mild Sullivan East rally in the fourth quarter and picked up a 57-49 win to advance to Friday’s tournament sixth place game against Cleveland. The Mustangs led by what seemed like a comfortable 44-28 margin entering the final period, but the East Patriots outscored [...]
Cleveland High School knocked out Pulaski Co. (Va.) 64-56 and will play again Friday for sixth place in the tournament. The Raiders trailed by 34-26 at halftime, but they rallied in the third quarter and knotted the count at 46 at the close of the third. Pulaski went up early [...]
Bradley Central turned on the defense in the third quarter, holding Knox Catholic to only two points, and went on to run by the Irish 47-33. The Bears were up 22-15 at halftime, but the third quarter was decisive as a 15-2 scoring margin left Bradley with a 37-17 lead [...]
South Laurel (Ky.) knocked Oak Ridge out of the tournament, posting a 59-51 win Wednesday afternoon. With a fast start South Laurel opened up a 17-8 lead and Oak Ridge found themselves playing from behind most of the afternoon. Emily Cox scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a [...]
Old rivals South Greene and Grainger played to an extra period before the Lady Rebels pulled off an upset of sorts, beating the Grizzlies 45-40 in a thriller. The Rebs held a nine point advantage midway of the final period, but the Grizz closed with a rush. Shots that had [...]
Shelby Valley’s (Ky.) Lady Cats earned a 53-38 win over North Greene in an elimination game Thursday. The inside-outside combination of the Cats’ guard Cassidy Rowe and posts Alyssa Elswick and Zoee Johnson proved too much to handle for the Huskies. Elswick had a double-double with 21 points and 10 [...]
DAY 4 LADIES CLASSIC It was a game of runs, and West Greene got the last one and beat county rival Chuckey-Doak 58-53. West Greene led 32-25 at halftime and was in control much of the first three quarters. A basket by the Knights’ Kennedy Brown tied the game at [...]
Bullitt East from Mt. Washington, Ky., beat Knox Catholic 59-39 to earn a semifinal berth against Kentucky rival Ryle High from Union, Ky. Knox Catholic had no answer for Bullitt post Gracie Merkle, who dropped in 19 points and hauled in 15 rebounds. Emma Egan was strong in support with [...]
The Greeneville High Lady Devils have made it to the tournament semifinals in impressive fashion, knocking off South Laurel of Kentucky 74-55 in quarterfinals Wednesday. Greeneville will take on Upperman in the semis Thursday night at 7:30. The Lady Devils aggravated South Laurel with their tough defensive pressure, forcing 26 [...]
Bradley Central suffered its first loss of the campaign Wednesday night as Larry Ryle High of Union, Ky. posted an exciting 57-52 win in quarterfinal action of the Ladies’ Classic. The Bears of Bradley led 27-24 at halftime, but Ryle controlled the third period and jumped into the lead, holding [...]
The Upperman Bees from Baxter picked up a thrilling 46-44 win over Oak Ridge in the first of Wednesday night’s quarterfinals. It was a showdown of two perennial state tournament teams, and this one did not disappoint. Upperman held the upper hand until the fourth period when Oak Ridge staged [...]
A 13-0 run by Cleveland in a two-minute span of the fourth quarter turned the tide of the game in their favor and they went on to a 51-42 victory over North Greene’s Lady Huskies. Although they led most of the way, Cleveland was unable to put away the pesky [...]
Sullivan East’s Lady Patriots avenged an early season loss to South Greene in a big way, rolling over the Rebels 67-45. The first quarter was close, with East holding a slender 16-13 lead at the break. But things began to deteriorate for the Rebels in the second frame as the [...]
Pulaski County (Va.) took a 68-66 nail-biter over Shelby Valley (Ky.), highlighted by three of the best offensive performances of the tournament to date. Pulaski’s Keslyn Secrist poured in 29 points to lead the winners, while point guard Cassidy Rowe (28) and post Alyssa Elswick (24) combined for 52 of [...]
The first overtime game of the tournament occurred Wednesday morning as Myers Park (N.C.) nipped Grainger’s Lady Grizzlies 61-59. The Mustangs’ Mia Xerras drove in the lane for a layup with five seconds left in the extra period to give Myers Park the victory. Grainger got the ball into front [...]
Jefferson County defeated Chuckey-Doak in the early morning affair Wednesday, posting a 59-23 win. The Lady Patriots (8-9) led 29-15 at intermission and a 22-5 run in the third period left no doubt as to the outcome. Jefferson was led by post Kali McMahan who poured in 24 points and [...]
A last-second 3-point shot attempt by Cleveland bounded off the rim and Greeneville High escaped with a 58-56 win to make it to the tournament quarterfinals against South Laurel (Ky.) Wednesday night. The Lady Devils held the upper hand until the final four minutes of the game when Cleveland caught [...]
Knox Catholic grabbed the upper hand against South Greene in the second quarter and never relinquished it, turning back a mild Rebel rally in the fourth quarter to take a 56-46 win Tuesday night. The Irish trailed early in the game with the Rebs holding a 15-11 advantage at the [...]
South Laurel of London, Ky., pulled away from North Greene in the fourth quarter and posted a 55-49 victory to advance to the tournament quarterfinals. The two squads were neck and neck early in the fourth quarter, but North Greene went through a span of over five minutes where the [...]
Bradley Central’s Bearettes remain unbeaten on the year at 11-0 after a hard-fought 52-44 win over Myers Park High of Charlotte, NC. Hannah Jones poured in 23 points, while Karsee Weber hit six 3-pointers for 18 points to lead Bradley. Harmonie Ware added nine points. Myers Park countered with 12 [...]
The Upperman Lady Bees from Baxter, Tenn., another perennial state tournament contender, took a 48-42 win over Shelby Valley, Ky., to earn a quarterfinal berth against Oak Ridge on Wednesday. The Bees (11-1) moved ahead 18-10 after one quarter and maintained that eight-point spread throughout the second and third period. [...]
Larry Ryle High School from Union, Ky., handed the Grainger Lady Grizzlies only their second loss of the campaign, rolling to a 76-60 win on Tuesday. The Raiders (9-2) got a standout 26-point performance from Abby Holtman, including five 3-pointers, on their way to victory. Austin Johnson threw down 15 [...]
Oak Ridge has a very young ball club, and they entered the Ladies Classic with a rare losing record, but they showed a lot of spunk in getting past Pulaski County from Dublin, Va., 71-64 Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Wildcats, a perennial state power in girls basketball, has played a [...]
Bullitt East from Kentucky turned in a terrific third quarter to pull away from Sullivan East and went on to a 64-42 victory. The Chargers (10-1) went in front early, but the East Patriots from Bluff City were hanging around at the half, down 28-21. Bullitt went to work in [...]
Daniel Boone’s Lady Blazers defeated West Greene 59-32 in the first game of the day Tuesday. The Blazers (6-8) turned in a strong first half effort, leading 25-5 after one quarter and 43-16 at intermission. West Greene (6-7) played much better in the final two quarters but the big first [...]
Neighboring rivals Grainger and Jefferson County staged the best duel of the day, with the Grizzlies turning back a late rally by the Patriots to take a 53-40 victory and improve to 12-1 on the year. Grainger trailed 12-11 after one period but used a 16-4 run in the second [...]
Sullivan East took down Chuckey-Doak 64-34 to advance in the tournament. Jenna Hare of the Lady Patriots had a big night with 20 points for the winners, while Hayley Grubb scored 15 and had nine rebounds. Chuckey-Doak (2-8) was led by Hayleigh Hensley with 10 points and was the only [...]
Shelby Valley of Kentucky got 14 points and eight assists from University of Kentucky commitment Cassidy Rowe and beat Daniel Boone 59-37. The Cats went up 18-7 after one quarter and never let the Blazers get back within single digits. It was 36-13 at halftime. Alyssa Elswick added 12 points [...]
Cleveland’s Lady Raiders opened the Ladies Classic with a 66-19 romp over West Greene. Cleveland opened with a rush, scoring 22 in the opening quarter while blanking the Buffs. It was 43-7 by intermission and the outcome was decided. The Raiders (9-2) were led in scoring by Addison Hurst with [...]