The Lady Panthers, for the first time in school history, were invited to play in the prestigious Night Of Champions tournament held Saturday evening at Roane County High School. The girls earned this opportunity because they are in second place in the southern conference and fourth overall in the state in AA competition. The teams competing were Wirt County, who was first place in the Southern Conference, Williamstown, who was first in the Northern Conference, and Tyler Consolidated who was second in the Northern Conference.
The Lady Panthers, who came into the tournament a powerhouse, were mistakenly considered pushovers by the Northern Conference. However, after the first game with Williamstown, folks soon realized the Lady Panthers were all about the business at hand. The Lady Jackets of Williamstown soon realized that the girls from Clay had been underestimated. The first game netted a win for the Lady Panthers and garnered the respect they deserved. The match ended with the Jackets coming out on top, but it was not a cake walk. The Lady Panthers came at them with cannons and some awesome defense. Some calls were questioned during the match, with most of them not in our team’s favor. The Lady Jackets were a tough team, but it came down to whoever made the least mistakes.
The girls from Williamstown walked off the court knowing just how close they had come to getting knocked off the top rung of the ladder. Next up was number one Wirt County who had defeated the Lady Panthers in match play in their first meetings this season. It was not to be this time, however, as the Lady Panthers came out swinging for the fences and with some of the best blocking I have seen this year from any team. This blocking success shut down the big hitters of Wirt, and trust me, they have some big time hitters who could probably clock a hundred mile an hour kill. The Lady Panthers shut them down and completely threw them off their normal game. Wirt, like, Clay has many weapons and defeating them is a defining moment. The Lady Panthers finished third overall with some of the fastest, heart pounding action you will find on any court. The Lady Panthers will soon start their run toward a state championship and are well on their way to getting there. Don’t miss a bit of the action!
