Overton girls cruise to Class AAA sectional win over Cordova

from CommercialAppeal.com

When Cordova senior Gabriella Hernandez hit a pair of free throws with 2:46 left in the second quarter of Saturday night’s Class AAA sectional game, the Lady Wolves, playing on their home court, trailed Overton by just six points.

But it was all Overton after that.

Cordova committed three straight turnovers in the middle of a 14-2 Overton run that didn’t end until the 2:07 mark of the third quarter.

Overton (29-7) cruised from there to earn a 53-37 win and a third straight trip to the Class AAA State Tournament, which begins Thursday in Murfreesboro.

Junior Cortice Golden, a 6-0 post player, was the biggest reason for Overton’s win. She was unguardable for most of the game, scoring eight points in the first quarter and finishing with a game-high 18.

“She came to play tonight,” Overton head coach Robert Woods said. “We knew they were small inside. She spreads out well and seals well. We were getting feeds to her from the top. When she’s not rushing her shot, she’s good.”

Cordova (21-8), which finished third in District 14-AAA, pulled off three upsets in the region tournament to earn the right to host a sectional game, but appeared to fatigue late against a bigger and faster Overton squad.

“She (Fondren) was a factor, but we prepared for that,” Cordova coach Rhonda Kendall said. “If we could have given a little more effort, we could have done better … We had a great year. They’re all winners. We did some of the unexpected around here.”

Overton junior Cornelia Fondren, who finished with 17 points, scored the final four points of the first half to give the Lady Wolverines a 25-13 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Overton’s swarming defense began to takes its toll, forcing multiple turnovers. Overton freshman Philecia Atkins, who finished with 11 points, hit a 3-pointer with 4:34 left in the third quarter to push her team’s lead to 32-15.

Cordova never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Six seniors graduated from an Overton team last year that advanced to the state semifinals.

“It took a while this year because some of us were new,” Fondren said. “We knew we’d be okay if everybody came out hard and did what they were supposed to.”

“All we had to do was believe in ourselves,” Golden said, “and we knew we could achieve our goals.”

Hernandez led Cordova with 16 points and senior Taylor Jeffries added 12.