Manassas girls wear down McNairy Central

from CommercialAppeal.com

Manassas girls basketball coach Tommy Warren is a self-proclaimed visionary.

That explains why moments after the Lady Tigers’ convincing win over Trezevant in Wednesday’s region final, Warren suggested that his players pack their bags, as if they had already punched their ticket to the state tournament.

“I told them, ‘You’ve got to see yourselves in Murfreesboro,’” Warren said. “Your thoughts control most of your realities in life.”

Well, Warren's vision was accurate on Saturday night as the Tigers advanced to Murfreesboro and this week's Class AAA state tournament by defeating McNairy Central, 60-52, in the TSSAA Class AA sectionals.

A raucous crowd at Manassas saw the Lady Tigers (27-8) overshadow their early-game jitters and poor first-half shooting to earn their first ever trip to the state tournament that begins this week at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center Complex.

Manassas, after spending a majority of the game being limited to just one shot, appeared more aligned and assertive in the final quarter against a tired looking McNairy Central team that went scoreless the first 5:31 of the fourth quarter.

Winners of five straight, the Tigers went ahead, 45-44, for the first time in the contest on Victoria White’s soft runner off the glass with 7:31 remaining in the fourth, a lead they would never relinquish.

They held the Lady Bobcats --- who shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half --- to just 2-of-10 field goals in the final frame. After junior center Jamiee Bond drained a 3-pointer for good measure to produce the final margin just before the horn sounded, the Tiger student section stormed the court in jubilation.

“When we came out after halftime, we thought we were going to lose because they were playing at the same pace we were playing,” Bond said. “Now it feels good because we all had our bags packed. We have been wanting to see what it’s like to go to Murfreesboro.”