How a community lifted up Greenfield to a TSSAA girls basketball state championship title

Yahoo

15-03-2025

MURFREESBORO ― Tori Liggett's cell phone lit up after Greenfield's TSSAA girls basketball state tournament semifinal win over Richland Friday.
It was a flood of well-wishing text messages that overwhelmed the Greenfield coach, but one in particular felt poignant as Liggett sat with a teary-eyed team answering questions of how the Lady Jackets captured the Class 1A state championship, beating Van Buren, 49-46, Saturday at MTSU's Murphy Center.
Liggett spent 15 years as Greenfield Middle's basketball coach. A former player on her eighth-grade team, Abbey McDaniel Webb, reminded Liggett about that middle school team's motto for that season Webb had embroidered on a quilt made out of Greenfield High T-shirts
"It was 'Finish it,' " Liggett said. "That's what she put on (the quilt) and in the text message that she sent to me and she put on Facebook. That was our motto for her eighth-grade year and I say that was our motto (Saturday). And they did."
It's the first state championship for Greenfield (30-6) since 2018 and only the second title in program history, but this championship will resonate in small community that holds tradition close to its heart.
Greenfield fans crowded the upper concourse, passing around the championship trophy and taking pictures, anticipating the police escort that will accompany the team back home.
For the fans that weren't able to make the more than two-hour trip, there was a watch party at Greenfield High's gym. Former Greenfield boys basketball coach Don Durden has been fixture on the girls team's bench for the past few years. In his 80s, Durden ― who won Greenfield boys' only state title in 1984 ― was unable to make the trip.
"We're going to pay him visit," she said. "We've got a hat waiting for him."
Greenfield trailed for much of the game but a flurry of six straight points to start the fourth quarter pulled the Lady Jackets ahead, led by the usually reserve and composed sophomore Rayanna Fisher. Fisher let her emotions show during the tournament. She had 14 points in the championship game and was named MVP. Her 23 points helped Greenfield escape Richland, 47-40, in the semifinal and added 12 points in the quarterfinal win over North Greene.
"Usually I'm pretty calm but I know if somebody does something good out there, I feel like somebody has to have that energy and then the energy will keeps us rolling," said Fisher.
Fisher's transition layup with 54 seconds reclaimed the lead for the Lady Jackets, 47-46, and she knocked down a pair of free throws with 15 seconds to push the lead to three.
Van Buren's final 3-point attempt fell short as Greenfield collected the rebound and ran out the clock.
Tears streamed down both cheeks for guard Brenley Little. Her older sister, Makayla, was part of the 2018 team that beat Summertown for the 1A title.
"It means a lot to me," Brenley Little said, with her voice cracking. "She didn't get to come today but I know she would be proud of me. I always looked up to her."
Liggett, in her fifth season as Greenfield's coach, took three years off between the middle school and high school coaching duties. But those 15 years teaching the game to sixth, seventh and eighth-graders brought Saturday's moment full-circle.
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Webb, who also played at Greenfield High, graduating in 2012, brought Crumbl cookies to the team Friday night.
"We've been fed, we've been pampered and loved through the whole tournament and season," Liggett said. "It would be sad if you came up here and won something that was this special and didn't have a town to share it with."
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: TSSAA girls basketball state tournament 2025: Greenfield win 1A title