Kaylee Niebrugge opened the fourth quarter by hitting a free throw and then a short jumper to tie the game at 29-29. Following a pair of free throws by Coombes, Hardiek scored for T-Town to knot the score at 31-31 with 2:31 left.

Combes then drove to the basket for a score and Madyson Rigdon turned in a three-point play to put the Lady Tigers on top 36-31 at the 1:39 mark. The Lady Shoes missed their final five shots and got only a pair of foul shots from Kaitlyn Schumacher that trimmed the lead to 36-33. Katelyn Littleton and Rigdon knocked down free throws in the final 23 seconds to seal the win and send Paris to the championship game.

“It felt like we were climbing uphill the whole game,” Thompson noted. “If we could have just got ahead one time, I think that would have been a big confidence boost. We were right there. Unfortunately, our shots just didn’t fall.”

The Lady Shoes never led in the game. Paris was up 9-6 after the opening eight minutes and built an eight-point lead, 20-12, with two minutes to play in the first half. A basket by Schumacher got THS within 20-14 at halftime.

T-Town came out in the second half focused on getting the ball inside. Schumacher, Niebrugge and Emily Konkel each had a basket in the first three possessions. But Rigdon answered twice and Littleton made a free throw to keep it a five-point spread, 25-20. Coombes then added two more buckets to increase the margin to nine and set the stage for the final 12 minutes.

“We knew coming in that rebounding and making shots would be the keys to the game,” Thompson said. “Early on, we didn’t rebound very well, and then we didn’t make shots, and that got us in a hole.

“I give the girls credit, though,” Thompson added. “They were down eight and came back. Then they got down nine and came back again. They played tough to get back in the game. But you can’t get in a hole like that to quality teams.”

Coombes and Rigdon led the Lady Tigers, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively. Paris shot 44 percent for the game, making 14-of-32 attempts. They were 3-for-12 from long range and 8-for-12 from the foul line. They out-rebounded T-Town 26-21.

The Lady Shoes didn’t have a player reach double figures. Konkel finished with nine points, while Schumacher and Hardiek both scored eight. T-Town made 13-of-37 shots, a 35 percent clip. They were 3-for-15 from behind the arc and 4-for-7 from the line.

“The girls played hard,” Thompson said. “It’s always a tough locker room after a loss like this. But they tried as hard as they could. We had a great season and I’m very proud of them.”

Thompson will now say goodbye to four seniors – Grace Tegeler, Kaitlyn Schumacher, Zoe Cremens and Izzy Hardiek.

“They have busted their butts all season,” Thompson said. “They’ve been dedicated to our program and are great role models for the younger kids. These are four great seniors. I’m very proud of them and I will miss them.”

The Lady Shoes finished the season with a 21-8 record.

Paris, now 28-4, will face a 33-1 Pana squad for the sectional championship Thursday night.