MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Fillies made history on Friday, March 13, at Murphy Center, when they overwhelmed Gatlinburg-Pittman 65-42 in the Class 2A state semifinal to advance to the school’s first-ever state championship basketball game in history.
As a whole, the Fillies shot 50 percent from the field and forced 17 turnovers.
Freshman Wylie Kee was again unstoppable, posting 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block.
Knox Bennett tallied an 20 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, including a three-pointer in the second quarter that blew the game open.
Gatlinburg-Pittman jumped to a 10-4 lead at the start of the game after a pair of three-pointers from Maliyah Glasper. But the Fillies responded with a 14-3 run to close the first quarter, capped by a Grier Bartholomew three-pointer with 14 seconds left that gave Huntingdon an 18-13 lead.
The second quarter was all Fillies. Huntingdon’s defense held Gatlinburg-Pittman to just 3-of-18 shooting in the period. Bennett’s three off a steal from Ellie Wilson pushed the lead to 10, and a Millie Luther fast-break layup extended it to 12. The Fillies took a commanding 37-20 lead into halftime.
Huntingdon kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter, building the lead to as many as 30 points at 56-26 on a Wilson layup with under a minute to play in the period.
Wilson finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Bartholomew contributed 3 points, 4 rebounds, and a block. Luther added 3 points and 2 steals off the bench.
Chloe Mejias led Gatlinburg-Pittman with 17 points and Glasper added 14.
The Fillies now set their sights on the Class 2A state championship game against York Institute, where they will look to cap off a historic 30-3 season with the first title in school history.