Miss Basketball finalist Blair Baugus has Wayne County back in Class 1A championship
MURFREESBORO – Blair Baugus was patiently waiting for a chance to put the game away.
The Wayne County basketball sophomore could probably count on one hand the number of times the Lady Wildcats have needed more than a quarter to pull away from an opponent this season. It hasn't been a common occurrence.
But Baugus scored 16 of her team-high 25 points in the second half to keep Wayne County's record perfect in a 61-39 victory over Hampton in the TSSAA Division I BlueCross Girls State Basketball Championships Friday at Murphy Center.
Wayne County (36-0) will face McKenzie for the Classs 1A title at 4 p.m. Saturday.
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Nothing has come easy for Baugus this season despite averaging 18.9 points and 9.2 rebounds. She's developed into a premier forward in the state as a Miss Basketball finalist who holds offers from Middle Tennessee State, Lipscomb, Chattanooga and North Alabama.
She's also drawn considerable attention. During a 14-game stretch in January and February, Wayne County averaged a 43-point margin of victory. While most teams struggle to score points late in the season, Wayne County is averaging 64 points in the postseason.
"Coming in as a freshman people didn't really know what I could do," Baugus said. "So they weren't really focused on me as much. But this year, it's a change. But I feel like I've gotten adjusted to it very quickly."
Baugus is never far from a gym. She rarely spends her free time away from it. It's habits she's picked up from her parents, Jerrod and Ginger Baugus.
Jerrod, a Mr. Football finalist at Wayne County as a senior in 1990, played football, basketball and baseball at North Alabama while Ginger played the 1995-96 basketball season at North Alabama.
"The great thing about Blair is she's humble," Jerrod said. "She's quiet and humble but she's extremely competitive. She's one of the more competitive people I've been around. But she loves basketball and she loves her teammates."
She shocked her parents growing into to 6-foot.
"I didn't know she would get this tall," Jerrod said. "She's about a half-inch taller than me and she's taller than her mom who's about 5-6 or 5-7. I guess God just gave her some height."
Wayne County will get another shot at McKenzie. The two teams played for the state title last season with McKenzie capturing a 46-42 win. Baugus had 16 points in that game, but she's morphed into a complete player that nearly had a triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks) in Wayne County's quarterfinal win over Dresden Wednesday.
"She makes my job easier," Wayne County coach Molly Ashley said. "Blair is never satisfied. She's always in the gym. She's a joy to coach."
Reach sports writer George Robinson at grobinson@gannett.com and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blair Baugus lead Wayne County basketball to state championship game
