The 2022-23 Lady Braves team made history for the TCHS girls basketball program as they won their third consecutive District 1-4A Championship game beating Mooreville Lady Troopers 48 – 44 in their fourth consecutive Championship appearance.

It was one month to the day the Lady Braves redeemed their loss to Mooreville after splitting competitive regular season games.

The student section, loud and proud, comprised of TC students along with Itawamba Agricultural High School players and students, broke out singing “nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye” seconds before the final buzzer.

The Lady Braves kept the pressure on the Lady Troopers and forced a turnover as they could not get the ball inbound to an open player; this defense helped the Lady Braves push through when they struggled to score.

The first half of the game, the Lady Braves battled to make plays as they kept the score within reach against Mooreville, who took an early lead and kept it as they headed to the locker rooms at halftime.

“I thought we were a lot more physical in the second half,” Head Coach Brian Middleton said. “We got to the free throw line a lot more.”

Coach Middleton felt this was the turning point for the Lady Braves as they settled into their game.

They outscored Mooreville 29 – 21 in the second half, 11 of those points came from the free throw line.

“We got really aggressive,” Coach Middleton said, “defensively (we were) a lot better. It was a total team effort on a hard-fought win that wasn’t always pretty. Margaret Claire Riley was everywhere. Abbi Reed’s defense, unreal, and hitting two big free throws. She didn’t turn the ball over as a freshman, great minutes out of her.”

“Never give up,” Reed said. “It’s not over, until it’s over.”

The Lady Braves were never out of the game as they dug deep, pushed past their struggles, and turned things around in the second half with a strong defense, shutting down Mooreville’s second leading scorer of the night, Lyla Cox, with 10 points all in the first half.

When they turned up the defense, their offensive game came together as Reese Moore scored 10 of her 19 points and Lila Sanderson scored 12 of her 16 points, all in the second half.

Sanderson ended the game with a double-double, 16 points and 11 rebounds.

With one minute left in the game, Cox airballed a three-pointer and Zareli Ozuna was in position for the rebound. 

Running time off the clock, the Lady Braves brought the ball down the court, passed it around, and forced Mooreville’s, Laklyn Nichols, to foul Reed.

This foul sent Reed to the free-throw line, where she scored and gave the Lady Braves their largest lead of the night with six points and put them on a 9 – 0 scoring run.

Nichols brought the ball down for Mooreville and was fouled by Ozuna; she made both free-throws and turned it into a four-point game.

As the clock wound down, both teams refused to give up. Mooreville was able to turn it into a one-possession game.

Moore drove through the Lady Troopers double team press as she crossed half court she was fouled by Anna Comer.

She missed both free-throws, and Mooreville came down with the rebound.

Nichols passed the ball across the court to Alexis Franks at the three-point line undefended. 

Franks put the ball in the air to make it a one possession game but came up just short; it hit the edge of the rim and dropped straight down into the hands of Sanderson.

Sanderson and Comer tied up for the jump ball as possession went to the Lady Braves with 3.8 seconds left and the Braves ahead by three points.

Franks fouled Ozuna as she received the inbound pass, sending Ozuna to the free throw line and Franks to the bench with five fouls.

Ozuna drained her first throw sealing the victory for the Lady Braves in the Division 1-4A District Championship game.

In true Lady Braves fashion, after they received the trophy, but before they continued their celebration, they joined in the Itawamba spirit line to support the Indians as they battled for the boy’s championship.

The Lady Braves will play Senatobia in the first round of the State Playoffs at the TCHS gym on Monday, February 13, at 6 p.m.