JACKSON -The Bogue Chitto Lady Cats made a return trip to the Big House with high hopes of winning a state championship Wednesday afternoon as they took on the West Union Lady Eagles in the quarterfinal round of the MHSAA Class 1A State Tournament in the Mississippi Coliseum.

In a thrilling contest, the Lady Cats saw their dreams of winning a state championship come to an nightmarish end, falling to the Lady Eagles in a devastating 57-55 overtime loss.

In other Class 1A Girls action, the Ashland Lady Devils managed to knock off the McAdams Bulldogs 71-70 on a last second free throw to advance to the semifinal round to take on West Union, Monday starting at 10:30 a.m..

The Lady Cats, coached by Christi Terrell, finished their amazing season with 26-7 worksheet. Bogue Chitto’s future still looks really bright as they look to make a return trip next year as BC will lose only one senior, Lauren McCaffery, to graduation.

West Union 57, Bogue Chitto 55 

In the opening quarter, the Lady Cats came out strong and quickly grabbed an early 5-1 lead in the first two minutes of action. The Lady Eagles would respond to BC’s challenge by applying full-court pressure on the Lady Cats to go on a 17-7 run to the end the first quarter with a 18-12 lead.

In the second quarter, West Union would continued their defensive pressure on the Lady Cats to add to their lead with a 11-6 push to end the first half with a 29-18 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Lady Cats came out of the locker room ready to make noise as they turned up the heat on defense to keep West Union off balance. BC managed to scratch and clawed their way back into the game with a 8-7 run, but still trailed the Lady Eagles 36-26 after three quarters of action.

In the fourth quarter, Bogue Chitto continued to their strong defensive pressure on West Union, as the Lady Cats managed to find their offensive rhythm and outscored the Lady Eagles 21-11 to tied the game at 47-all with a 1:10 remaining.

In the final minute of action, West Union held onto the ball for the final play of the contest as they continued to work the ball around looking for an opening shot, but BC’s defense would not give in and held strong.

With 1.8 second remaining, BC quickly saw an opening and manage to get their hands on the ball to force a jump ball call, which unfortunately favored West Union. After two quick timeouts, West Union’s Gracen Conlee received the inbound pass for the final shot but was rejected by BC’s Zariah Matthews as the buzzer sounded to end regulation tied at 47-all.

In overtime, the Lady Cats won the opening tip and took the lead on their first possession on Taneshia May’s layup. BC’s defense would steal the ball on the Lady Eagles first possession as Matthew raced down the floor and nailed a two-pointer inside the paint to give BC a 51-47 lead in the first minute of overtime.

West Union would rally back to score four straight points to tie the contest at 51-all with two minutes left. Bogue Chitto would put together another four point run to claim a 55-51 lead with a minute remaining, but the Lady Eagles would charge back to tied game at 55-all with 20 seconds left.

After a quick West Union timeout, BC worked hard to get the ball in on the inbounds play, as the Lady Eagles applied defensive pressure on the Lady Cats’ guards, which resulted in a unfortunate turnover for Bogue Chitto.

After the turnover, West Union would set up for the final shot once again, but was fouled by Bogue Chitto with 6 second left. West Union’s Callie Baggett would hit both of her foul shots to give the Lady Eagles a 57-55 lead.

With six second left, BC’s Matthews would race down the court for the final play to tie the game, but the shot would not fall as the buzzer sounded.

“This is a tough loss to swallow,” said BC coach Christi Terrell. “In the first half, we started off slow but managed to pick up the tempo in the second half and shot the ball really well.

“Overall, I was very pleased with my girls efforts,” continued Terrell. “We had a great season and I am very proud for my girls and their accomplishments.”

Junior guard Zariah Matthews powered the Lady Cats’ offense with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot. Christian Black provided a double-double performance of 10 points and 13 rebounds. Karlie Williams contributed eight points. Taneshia May chipped in with seven points. Lauren McCaffrey and Terrah Nelson helped on the boards with six rebounds apiece.

Callie Baggett and Gracen Conlee were the top scorers for the Lady Eagles with 16 points apiece. Marley Long chipped in with 11 points. Jesslyn Brewer was the leader on the boards with 10 rebounds. Conlee had seven rebounds.