Eagles win, Lady Eagles Lose at Home vs Mcminn Central
Evensville, TN -- 11/18/25 -- Rhea County hosted McMinn Central to open the 2025 season on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. Lady Eagles began the night with a close loss to Mcminn Central 70-67. The Eagles came out on top of their close encounter with McMinn Central with the Chargers by a 58-53 final score. Both teams will host Sequoyah on Thursday, November 20, 2025 with Lady Eagles opening action at 6 pm, followed with Eagles playing at 7:30 pm.
McMinn Central 70 Lady Eagles 67
The first quarter was a close competition with several lead changes with Jenna Brchard andDestany Cunningham leading the quarter scoring with 6 and 5 points respectively as Lady Eagles trailed 15-14 with Maddie Kirpatrick leading the way for Lady Chargers with 6 points. Maggie Peterson's 3-point basket at the 6:17 mark of the 2nd quarter pushed the Lady Chargers lead to 23-14, an 8-0 run to start the quarter. Cunningham and Burchard helped pull Rhea closer with baskets around the 4 minute mark to keep Lady Eagles close at 28-20. Jaslyn Butler picked up her 3rd foul to hamper the Lady Eagles' inside game at 3:20 mark of quarter. Burchard lead the Lady Eagles with 6 points in the quarter and Malea Masingale led McMinn with 9 points as they enjoyed 38-28 lead at halftime.
McMinn increased their lead early in 3rd quarter to largest at 12 points before Lady Eagles responded with Buttler and Burchard teaming up for 6 points to cut lead to 42-34 with 5:43 left in the quarter. Butler's 2 free throws at the 4:31 mark moved Lady Eagles to within 2 at 43-41. Alahna Powell scored 10 points to power the Lady Chargers in the quarter. Raylee Fuller's 3-pointer cut the lead to 48-45 with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Gracie Lovelady's free throws cut the lead to 53-52 with 36 seconds left in the quarter and Jenna Burchard hit the end-of-quarter heave to cut the lead to 56-55 after 3 quarters.
Jetta Sharp hit a 3 to end a 4-0 Lady Charger start to the 4th quarter to cut the lead to 60-58 with 5:42 left in the quarter. Burchard and Butler kept Lady Eagles in the game with 11 4th quarter points between them and with 26 seconds remaining, Lady Eagles trailed by 66-65, but Masingale was fouled and canned both free throws for 2 of her 8 4th quarter points, for the 68-65 lead. Butler responded with a basket to cut the lead to 68-67 with 18 secnd remaining. Rhea was forced to foul Masingale and she hit both free throws for the 70-67 lead with 14 seconds remaining. McMinn used their foul to give to was another 6 seonds and Lady Eagles. McMinn stole the inbounds pass and missed on both free throws and Lady Ealges had one last chance with 7 seonds remaining, but they turned the ball over and McMinn dribbled out the last 3 seconds for the 70-67 win.
Rhea scorers: Jenna Burchard 27, Joslyn Butler 14, Destany Cunningham 8, Raylee Fuller 6, Gracie Lovelady 22, Landree Brown 2 and Kloe Reeves 1. McMinn Central scorers: Malea Masingale 23, Alahna Powell 17, Mattie Kirpatrick 14, Kytalin Davis 9, Lily Arwood 4 and Maggie Peterson 3.
Rhea 58 McMinn Central 53
McMinn Central opened with 5-0 lead in first couple of minutes of the game. Mason Ford got the Eageles on the board with basket with 5:15 left in quarter. Bryce Garrison cut the Chargers' lead to 5-4 with layup around the 4:33 mark of the quarter and Garrison scored 2 more baskets to keep the Eagles close(9-8) over the next couple of minutes. Holston Shaver and Corey Brackett traded 3-point make and with1:38, Chargers led 14-12, and finished with 17-13 lead after 1 quarter.
Jacob Kerley gave the Eagles a 19-17 lead around the six minute mark of the second quarter. McMinn Central ran their lead to 25-19 before Halston Shaver had the basket plus free throw 3 to move Eagles within 25-22 with 5:03 left in the quarter. Norman got loose down low for a basket around the four minute mark to cut the lead to 25-24. Mazzel hit both free throwss to give Chargers a 29-24 lead and Elijah Hacker picked off an Eagle pass for a uncontested baskets for the 31-24 lead with a couple of minutes remaining and Chargers benefited from another steal basket before Jayden Fitzgerald's 3 cut the Charger lead to 33-27 with 1:36 remaining in second quarter and a dry 1:36 for the rest of quarter left Chargers up 33-27 at halftime.
Garrison opened third quarter with basket that was answered by McMinn Central and Garrison scordd again at the 5:27 mark to cut Central's lead to 38-33. Halston Shaver's 3 with 4:21 cut the lead to 40-36. With 2 minutes remaining in 3rd quarter Fitzgeralds fast break basket cut the Chargers lead to 41- 38. Norman hit two free throws to cut lead to 41-40 with 1:31 left in quarter. Jacob Kelsey's layin put the Eagles up 44-43 late and that was score at end of 3 quarters.
Eagles tied the game early in 4th before Mazzel gave the Chargers the lead at 46-44. Around the 3 minute mark Bryce Garrison put the Eagles up 52-49. Shaver gave the Eagles a 4-point lead at 55-51 with about a minute remaining in the game. McMinn stayed close until a miss with 6 seconds and the free throw makes by Shaver put the game away and Eagles had a 58-53 win.
Scoring for Rhea were: Jayden Fitzgerald 7, Elijah Norman 6, Holston Shaver 13, Mason Ford 4, Bryce Garrison 19, Jacob Kerley 6. Corey Ward 3. McMinn Central Scorers: John Mazzel 18, Elijah Hacker 13, Corey Brac kett 10, Jett Quarles 7, Keyshawn Morre 3 and Russ Brannen 2.