Addy Osborne Delivers at the Buzzer as Mt. Juliet Edges Lebanon in District Thriller
With the game on the line and just seconds remaining, Mt. Juliet sophomore Addy Osborne found herself at the free-throw line - not for a shot, but in the middle of a high-pressure possession. She stopped on a dime, gave a subtle ball fake that sent Lebanon’s Ellie Beth McDonald into the air, and calmly rose up for a 15-foot jumper.
Swish.
Osborne’s clutch shot with three ticks left on the clock sealed a dramatic 47-45 win for Mt. Juliet over Lebanon in their District 7-4A home opener. It was a gritty, back-and-forth battle that showcased resilience, leadership, and a big-time playmaker stepping up when her team needed it most.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” Osborne said. “I was just kind of dialed in. I hadn’t been hitting a lot, and that was my chance to win the game.”
That moment capped off a game-high 17-point performance from Osborne, who once again proved why she’s already a go-to option in just her sophomore season. And according to Mt. Juliet head coach Jeremy Hawks, that’s nothing new.
“I’ve been watching Addy since she was in elementary school - she’s never shied away from big moments,” Hawks said. “She started for us as a freshman and has already had plenty of big moments. She’s built for this.”
A Slow Start, Then a Surge
Mt. Juliet (7-3, 2-0 in District 7-4A) didn’t exactly come out firing.
The Golden Bears were held scoreless for the first 4:30 of the opening quarter, falling behind 8-0 as four different Lebanon players got on the board early. But senior Claire Emery finally broke the drought with a strong and-one finish in the lane, igniting a much-needed spark.
That bucket flipped the switch.
The Golden Bears closed the first quarter on an 11-3 run, with Osborne scoring six of her 17 during that stretch and freshman Ryleigh Clayton adding a smooth floater off the glass. Mt. Juliet found its rhythm, and more importantly, its confidence.
“The last few games we’ve just been lacking leadership,” Osborne said. “So me and Claire (Emery) brought everybody together and just encouraged them not to give up. Especially in a game like that.”
That leadership showed up in the second quarter as Mt. Juliet continued to chip away.
After a cold start from beyond the arc, the Golden Bears came alive from deep, knocking down four triples in the second frame. Clayton, Makayla Hopson, Aaliyah Holman, and Osborne each connected from long range, helping Mt.
Juliet take a four-point lead into halftime.
“It was a very rocky start. They jumped out early,” Hawks said.
“But the one thing about this team - they have no quit. They just keep fighting.
They’re not scared of big moments. They would literally run through a brick wall.”
Lebanon’s Late Push Falls Just Short
Mt. Juliet extended its lead to six heading into the fourth quarter, but Lebanon wasn’t going away quietly. The Devilettes (6-1) made their move in the final eight minutes, stringing together an 8-0 run that tied the game late.
Tra’Maria Neal took over down the stretch, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the second half. She was relentless attacking the rim and served as the catalyst for Lebanon’s comeback. McDonald led the Devilettes with 14 points, and both players were instrumental in the late surge.
“We really just wanted to slow down, execute, and take whatever the defense was going to give us,” Lebanon head coach Cory Barrett said. “Tra’Maria got hot.
She wanted the ball, and we wanted to start getting it to her more. She’s been our leading scorer and rebounder - doing it on both ends.”
But despite the push, Lebanon couldn’t get the final stop it needed.
After Neal tied the game with a tough finish, Holman responded with a layup off the glass to give Mt. Juliet a two-point edge with 40 seconds to go.
Lebanon drew up a pair of plays during timeouts with under 30 seconds left, and McDonald was fouled in the paint with 10 seconds remaining. She calmly knocked down both free throws to tie it once again.
Then came Osborne’s moment.
“The funny thing is, the play we ran wasn’t even what we drew up,” Hawks said. “Lebanon came out showing something different, and it was just spur of the moment that Addy went one-on-one. And she got the job done.”
Scoring Summary
Mt. Juliet (47): Addy Osborne 17, Ryleigh Clayton 8, Makayla Hopson 8, McClaine Ringenberg 6, Aaliyah Holman 5, Claire Emery 3
Lebanon (45): Ellie Beth McDonald 14, Tra’Maria Neal 13, Tiara Spencer 7, Maggie Kelley 6, Naleiya Withrow-Walker 3, Audrey Jones 2
Lebanon Boys Use Fourth-Quarter Run to Down Mt. Juliet
In the boys’ matchup, Lebanon flipped the switch in the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Trailing by one early in the final frame, the Blue Devils (3-4) exploded for a 13-0 run to take control and secure a 49-39 win over Mt. Juliet, picking up their first district victory of the season and snapping a two-game skid.
“We stopped settling and got to the rim,” said junior guard Amaure Manier, who led all scorers with 17 points. “We started causing some pressure, getting deflections and getting out in transition. I feel like the transition buckets determined the game.”
Manier was everywhere during that decisive stretch - dishing out an assist to Jett Epperson for a go-ahead three, then grabbing a steal and finishing at the rim. He followed that up with four more points, while TJ Searcy and Marques Anglin added key buckets to stretch the lead.
Lebanon head coach Jim McDowell credited the momentum swing to a key substitution.
“We were looking for a spark at that time,” McDowell said. “That’s when I subbed in Jett (Epperson) and Evan Klemm.
We executed a set we’ve been working on, got a good reversal, and Jett stepped up and knocked it down. That kind of got us going.”
Mt. Juliet (1-9) had its moments early, leading after both the first and second quarters.
Sophomore Michael Hornbuckle knocked down two threes in the first, and Chase Belew added two more in the second. But the offense stalled in the second half, managing just six points in the third quarter and going cold in the fourth.
Anderson Jones gave the Golden Bears a brief lead to open the final quarter, finishing through contact off the glass, but that would be the last time Mt. Juliet held an edge.
“We have to put it together for 32 minutes,” Mt. Juliet coach Trey Tate said.
“In our district games, it feels like we’ve done it for 27 minutes. But there’s always a five-minute stretch - like the second quarter against Hendersonville or the fourth quarter today - where we let the other team dictate the pace, speed us up, and turn us over.
We’ve got to eliminate that.”
Scoring Summary
Lebanon (49): Amaure Manier 17, Marques Anglin 16, TJ Searcy 8, John Binion 3, Jett Epperson 3, Evan Klemm 2
Mt. Juliet (39): Anderson Jones 16, Chase Belew 8, Chase Kupchik 8, Mike Hornbuckle 6, Miles Daly 1
Bottom Line:
Addy Osborne’s buzzer-beater put an exclamation point on a gritty Mt.
Juliet win in a game that had all the makings of a classic district showdown. On the boys’ side, Lebanon’s fourth-quarter surge showed what happens when a team locks in defensively and finishes strong.
Both games were reminders that in district play, it’s not just about how you start - it’s about who finishes.