Macon Basketball Begins Region Play

The basketball teams at Macon County High School opened region play this past Friday night.

They hosted district 8AA opponent York Institute.

The Tigerettes might be considered the underdog by most fans of the traditionally rich girl’s district. Only thing is they forgot to tell these girls as most picked the Lady Dragons to finish as the #4 seed in the region. The Tigerettes came out and looked like a young and inexperienced bunch in the first quarter, confused on defense and making silly mistakes. Then they remembered what they could do. Tied 13-13 after the 1st period, the Tigerettes took over hitting 4 of their 7 shots (with three 3s) and making 8 of 8 free throws. That combined with relentless pressure staked the Tigerettes to a 32-17 halftime lead. With their feet under them, Macon kept their foot on the gas. If these girls can continue to improve their fundamental play, they will surprise some people. Make no mistake, it’s early and they have some serious teams yet to play. However, a 56-36 win over a decent Lady Dragon team is a good start.

Scoring for the Tigerettes was: Jamie Ashburn 5, Keeley Carter 14, Kyndal Bullington 16, Mattie Goolsby 5, Jenna Russell 9, Mckaylee Mix 3, and Luci Allen 4. Morgan Carter, Landra Stafford, Keeley Clariday, and Savannah Colvin all played but did not score.

The boys were set to face a team that knocked them out of a sub-state appearance in the region semi-finals at the end of last season. The Tigers first nine points all came from behind the arc and they pushed out to a 20-11 lead after one quarter. Shooting 45% in the first half gave them a 35-23 lead at the break. Macon was able to increase their lead to 18 points early in the 3rd only to see the Dragons cut it to 44-39 at the end of the 3rd. York would get as close as three points until Macon settled in and made their shots and got a few stops. The game was much closer than the 64-51 final indicated as the Tigers made a few free throws down the stretch.

Scoring was: Michael Ashburn 17, Kendrick Carter 10, Seth Carlisle 8, Riley Phillips 8, Cameron Welch 8, Dalton Marsh 6, Cole Carnahan 6, and Trent Cook 1. Kelton Ballou played but did not score.

Macon County will next host Livingston Academy on Dec 6th and travel to Smith County on Dec 9th.