By Thomas Sellers Jr.
JACKSON — Tipton-Rosemark Academy Basketball history was made once again under the guidance of Head Coach Cedric Anderson.
Last year on the campus of Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Anderson guided the TRA Rebels to the school’s first Division II-A West Regional championship. The previous season in 2018 Anderson oversaw TRA reaching its first home Sub-State game.
Fast forward to Friday night, the Lady Rebels have never reached the West Regional title game. And after falling behind 25-13 in the first quarter to the Harding Academy Lady Lions, it appeared TRA would have to wait another year to make history.
But a 27-point third quarter erased the Lady Rebels deficit. And the court of the University School of Jackson became a TRA landmark with the Lady Rebels winning 69-63 to advance to the 2020 West Regional championship game against Trinity.
In the opening period against Harding Academy, TRA was deadlocked at 7-7 after a Raven Sims layup and steal leading to a basket. Then the Lady Lions outscored TRA 18-6 using their size advantage.
Lady Rebel senior Abby West helped her team kept pace with Harding Academy in the second quarter scoring 7 of the team’s 14 points.
After coming out of the locker room, Anderson lit a fire underneath his girls to play tougher defense. Harding Academy couldn’t solve the TRA pressure. The Lady Rebels transformed Lady Lion turnovers into transition buckets.
Lady Rebel Brianna Hall led the way with a few buckets in the third quarter. Her teammate Megan Sanfratello hit a couple of timely three-pointers. Hall led the way for the Lady Rebels with 21 points.
Guards Sims and Cat Turner combined for 19 points. And the duo of West and Jordan “JoJo’ Allen both contributed 11 points each in the historic victory.
The Lady Rebels earned a date for Saturday’s championship game at USJ.
