SHACKLE ISLAND -- Playing disciplined basketball and shutting down Mt. Juliet's short-handed inside game, Beech defeated the Lady Bears 42-34 in Wednesday's Region 5AAA finals.

The Lady Bucs (26-8) will now host Region 6 runner-up Antioch Saturday at 7 p.m., which lost to Brentwood 45-39. Mt. Juliet (24-9) will visit Brentwood Saturday with a trip to the TSSAA state tournament on the line.
 
Beech avenges the loss to Mt. Juliet in the District 9AAA final and is 2-2 in the four meetings between the two teams this season. The Lady Bucs had lost 22 straight to Mt. Juliet coming into this season.
 

Mt. Juliet was without forward Ronjanae DeGray after she suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter. She took a spill after going for a rebound and had to be helped off the floor.
 
DeGray returned for the final 45 seconds of the first half but did not play at all in the second half, finishing with just four points.
 
Beech also held MJ center Sally McCabe to nine points for the game, double-teaming her on defense and forcing Mt. Juliet to score from the perimeter. It was a vast improvement from the 12 inside buckets allowed in the District 9 title game.
 
By DOUG DYER
Main Street Media