WARTBURG, Tenn. | For a second consecutive season, Oneida will meet North Greene in the substate.
But this time, the game will be played in the friendly confines of OHS Gymnasium.
Last year, Oneida came up short against Coalfield in the Region 2-A championship game, sending the Lady Indians to Baileyton for the substate game, where their season ended against the Huskies.
There was no repeat of that on Wednesday, as Oneida took care of its business against Harriman in the region title game to secure the home substate game.
Kelsey Pike scored 23 points as Oneida cruised to a 64-51 win over Harriman in a game that wasn’t ever really in serious doubt. Harriman never led, and the Lady Indians built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter after leading by 13 points at halftime.
It was a two-point game at one point in the second quarter, but Lydia Kline provided a first half spark. The sophomore finished with 13 points, and Oneida used her stepped-up play to build the double-digit lead down the stretch in the second quarter.
The Lady Indians shot 47% from the field, while forcing Harriman into 15 turnovers and limiting the Blue Devils to 38% shooting.
Annaleah Terry had a team-high six rebounds. Pike and Braelyn Russ each had three steals. Rachel Elmore finished with a team-high five steals.
Wednesday’s win allowed Oneida to hoist the Region 2-A championship trophy for the third time in four years, as the Lady Indians prepare to bid farewell to Class A. They’ll move up to Class 2A next season.
Last year, Oneida fell to North Greene by 13 points in a game that was played evenly in the second half. The Huskies graduated several key players from last year’s team. They fell to Hampton 57-32 in the Region 1-A championship game Wednesday, and will enter Saturday’s substate game at OHS Gymnasium with a record of 19-17.
Tipoff of Saturday’s game will be 7pm.
ONEIDA (64): Pike 23, Kline 13, Russ 9, Bush 7, West 6, Terry 3, Elmore 2, G. Shoemaker 1.
HARRIMAN (51): Johnson 23, Oliver 13, Mason 8, Wilson 3, Humphrey 2, Thompson 2.
