CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Cleveland High School girls basketball head coach Bianca Hensley's nerves were on high alert in the first half of Monday's Region 3-4A semifinal home contest against Ooltewah, thanks in large part to Lady Owls' freshman guard Aleigha Taylor.
With well over 600 points scored in her debut prep season, Taylor assaulted the basket inside Raider Arena, where in the second quarter she banked in a step-back 3-pointer from the right corner before stealing a ball at midcourt and finishing a strong drive with her left hand for her 17th and 18th points to build a 23-11 lead with over four minutes left to go before halftime.
Trailing 29-22 at intrermission, the Lady Blue Raiders, led by junior Ilianis Rodriguez and Tennessee signee Lauren Hurst, regrouped in a big way as they held Ooltewah's budding superstar scoreless in the second half after accounting for 20 in the first on their way to a 64-40 win that earned a spot in the region finals and a guaranteed substate berth.
"When we were coming back at halftime, Lauren got our girls together and they responded to her refuse-to-lose mentality," Cleveland second-year head coach Bianca Hensley said. "She does all sorts of things for us on the court and her leadership skills are massive too, along with Emma Smith's. Our girls buckled down and found a way to get some stops and play with good ball movement to get our offense going."
Photo GalleryCleveland vs. Ooltewah girls' basketball on March 3, 2025
Hurst handed her team the momentum early in the third quarter as she shut down an attempt to back her down in the paint with a blocked shot -- one of her four rejections -- which she caught and sent ahead to Smith for the open layup.
Moments later, Smith's hustle play gained the Lady Blue Raiders an extra possession as she saved an errant shot from going out of bounds and threw it off the feet of a Lady Owl. On the ensuing inbounds play, Smith was rewarded as she drained her third and final 3-pointer from the left wing in front of her team's bench to take a 30-29 lead.
Hurst attacked the basket with authority in the third quarter as she made a trio of two-point baskets in less than two minutes. The 6-foot-3, two-sport superstar finished with a team-high 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and the four blocks.
Rodriguez closed the third period with a beautiful runner in the middle of the lane to provide a 44-36 lead and Cleveland (24-7) closed out decisively with a 20-4 scoring advantage in the final frame.
"Credit to Ooltewah, they played really well early and Taylor came out of the gate hitting some huge shots. She is a great creator," Hensley said. "We challenged our kids at halftime. Rodriguez is one of our best defenders and I thought she came out with more intensity on the defensive end and helped shut down a great player."
The Lady Raiders attack in the second half was also spurred by sophomore Laney Copeland, who scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, while freshman Ariyah Huffman scored nine of her 11 points in the second half.
Ooltewah finished the season 16-17 overall and received eight second-half points and a pair of blocks from junior Allie Tipton after halftime.
Cleveland will host the Region 3-4A championship on Wednesday at 7 against Bradley Central, which won 101-18 over East Hamilton Monday as junior Miss Basketball finalist Kimora Fields scored 29 points. The Bearettes (30-1) are ranked 12th in the nation by Sports Illustrated and have scored 223 points in the region tournament.
MONDAY'S AREA GIRLS' SCORES
Region 3-1A semifinals
Copper Basin 70, South Pittsburg 27
Van Buren 77, Sale Creek 35
Region 2-2A semifinals
Meigs County 60, Kingston 49
McMinn Central 76, Tellico Plains 49
Region 3-3A semifinals
Heritage 70, South-Doyle 55
Lenoir City 44, Soddy Daisy 34
Region 3-4A semifinals
Bradley Central 101, East Hamilton 18
Cleveland 64, Ooltewah 40
Contact Patrick MacCoon at [email protected].