Peterson pushed Lady Eagles past A-E

Megan Peterson couldn’t have scripted a better way to break out of an early-season slump if she called and asked Hollywood for help. Seymour’s 5-foot-11 senior post player played the featured role in another epic battle between District 3-AA girls basketball titans Tuesday night, helping her Lady Eagles (5-3) streak through a dominant fourth quarter for a key 42-33 district win over the Austin-East Lady Roadrunners (6-2) at SHS. Peterson and her senior counterpart, 5-foot-10 guard Jennifer Wilson, lifted the Seymour team upon their shoulders and carried it past the reigning district and region champion Lady Roadrunners. Peterson finished with a game-high 18 points, including nine in the pivotal fourth quarter, and Wilson chipped in solid seven points, eight rebounds and five steals. In last week’s disappointing Lady Eagles’ loss to a then-winless Pigeon Forge team, Wilson and Peterson combined for just 14 points in the game. Peterson had something to prove against the Lady Roadrunners. “I hadn’t been playing good at all,” she said moments after sinking 4-of-4 fourth quarter free throws to safely help clinch her team’s first district win of 2006. “I came out tonight with the mindset that I was just going to play better than I have the past two games. I’ve been playing terrible in our past two games but tonight I focused on helping our team do what we’re capable of doing.” Peterson said being a senior and a team leader, she felt compelled to lead the way against Austin-East, who beat Seymour in three of four games a year ago, including the district and region tournaments. “I decided if nobody else was going to do it, then I had to do it,” said Peterson. “(Austin-East) couldn’t stop me inside. They’re more athletic than we are but we are a more structured team and I think that makes us the better team. They were playing out of control and I said ‘if they can’t stop me, they can’t stop me.’” The Lady Roadrunners, whose only previous loss was to Wilson Central in a holiday tourney in Bradley County, simply couldn’t stop her. She could only stop herself. Peterson collected her fourth personal foul with a minute and 40 seconds left in the third and went to the bench for the remainder of the quarter. Wilson nailed a baseline jumper on Seymour’s next offensive possession and the Lady Eagles took a 27-23 lead into the final stanza. The lightning quick Lady Roadrunners then scored four consecutive points in the first minute of the fourth to make it 27-27 before Seymour head coach Randy Moore decided to put Peterson in as play was briefly halted because of an injured Lady Roadrunners player who was shaken up going to the basket. A-E converted a lay-up in transition following a Seymour missed 3-pointer but point guard Tiffany McCroskey tied it back up for the Lady Eagles when she swished a 17-foot baseline jumper with 3:29 left. Peterson then started to go to work for Seymour. After an A-E turnover, she was fouled in the paint and stepped to the line and sank a pair of freebies. After an A-E full timeout, Peterson caught a nice feed inside from the perimeter and knocked down a beautiful fade-away 13-footer in the paint with a hand in her face. An A-E defender was whistled for a foul on the shot, and Peterson stepped to the line to convert the old fashioned three-point play to put her team up 34-29. Seymour’s half-court defense was discombobulated in transition and A-E took advantage by hitting an easy layup on its next trip down the court. Peterson was just getting started though. She swished a slick turnaround jumper on the baseline with 1:30 left. She pretty much put the game away for the Lady Eagles following a Lady Roadrunners’ unforced turnover by rebounding her own miss and sticking it back to put the Lady Eagles up 38-31 on the next trip downcourt. McCroskey then sank three of four free throws down the stretch to help the Lady Eagles pull away for the 42-31 win. McCroskey finished with 11 points for the Lady Eagles and junior wing Tara Heyboer had a gritty six points in the win. Perhaps sending a message to his seniors, Moore didn’t even start Peterson and Wilson against A-E. Both came in a couple minutes into the game with Seymour off to an early lead thanks to a McCroskey trey in the opening minute. Wilson nailed a trey with seven minutes left in the first half to put Seymour up 10-5. Heyboer then stuck back an offensive board to give the Lady Eagles its biggest first half advantage at 12-5. A-E used its superior athleticism and full-court press to claw back into it, forging a 17-16 halftime lead. Peterson banked in a short jumper from the low post to put the Lady Eagles back on top at the start of the third quarter, showing the visitors a sign of things to come. Seymour, which has now beaten both Webb and A-E, arguably the two best girls teams in Knoxville, travels to play county rival Sevier County Thursday night, and hosts DCA on Friday.