Providence Christian girls clinch region berth; Central Magnet girls get big upset

LEBANON - Providence Christian Academy's girls basketball team advanced to the Division II/A East/Middle District 2 semifinals with a first-round win over Hendersonville Christian Thursday evening at Friendship Christian School.

The second-seeded Lady Lions (21-3) earned a 40-22 win over the seventh-seeded Lady Crusaders, clinching a spot in the DII-A East/Middle Region Tournament (top four in each district advance).

PCA will battle No. 3 seed The King's Academy (winners over Mt. Juliet Christian Academy) at 3 p.m. Friday in the district semis, with the title match being Saturday at 3 p.m.

The game was close throughout the first half, as PCA outscored HCA 12-9 in the first period and 9-5 in the second to build a 21-14 halftime advantage.

The Lady Lions all but put the game away by holding the Lady Crusaders to just two points in the third period, extending the lead to 15.

Liza Jane Jones had a big night for Providence, scoring 18 points. Emma Christiansen added 12.

Providence Christian's boys were eliminated with a 62-23 setback to Knox Webb in the quarterfinals.

Central Magnet 41, Smith Co. 37: Central Magnet's girls finished the 8-AA regular season slate on a high note, pulling off a big upset win on the road.

The victory puts the Lady Tigers at 3-11 in league play, 10-16 overall. Smith County fell to 9-5 in the district, 20-5 overall. Central Magnet has won two in a row heading into the postseason.

Central Magnet got it done in the fourth quarter, outscoring Smith County 18-11 after trailing 26-23 entering the period.

Addie Baird had a big night for CMS, scoring 13 points. She hit two 3-pointers and was 5-of-6 at the free throw line in the final period. Sydney Smith scored all six of her points in the fourth while Devyn Locum also scored six.

The Lady Tigers will be a No. 8 seed when the league tournament begins Monday at Tennessee Tech.