AISA GIRLS PLAYOFFS: Lowndes continues playoff run with romp over Southern; Springwood tops Clarke Prep
Lowndes Academy’s Alice Murchison is grabbed by Southern’s Mary Elizabeth Kyser in the Lady Rebels win on Thursday. (Tim Gayle)
COMBINED REPORT
In the previous 10 years, the Lowndes Academy girls have reached the finals five times, winning three titles and twice finishing as the runner up.
After beating Southern Academy 34-15 on Thursday in the Class AA semifinals of the Alabama Independent School Association state basketball tournament, the Rebels made it six out of 11.
Lowndes (14-4) will face Springwood School (19-1) for the Class AA title on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
“We didn’t really know what the expectations were (at the beginning of the season),” Lowndes coach Matt Marshall said. “I graduated Haley Briggs, the leading scorer. My point guard (Catie Wallace Self) had to have hip surgery at the end of volleyball. So the expectations weren’t quite as high. We knew we would just take it one game at a time to see how good we can be.
“It never gets old, getting back to the finals. If you’re not playing for that, why are you playing? I’m just proud of this team because it’s worked really, really hard to get to where we are. I’ve had to fire point guards, move people around. A lot of (the success) is my bench players. My bench players execute the other team in scrimmage situations and they mimick them to perfection. They make the starters better.”
On Thursday, the Rebels took the floor with a typical hard-nosed defense and a blue collar work ethic on offense. There are no offensive stars -- Haylon Self had a game-high 10 points, followed by Alice Murchison with nine -- and the defense concentrated its efforts on denying Southern Academy’s 6-foot-3 sophomore center, Abby Sluder, the ball.
“We’ve played her since she was a seventh grader,” Marshall said, “and she was about that tall in the seventh grade. We wanted to try to draw her out (from the post) and sneak some things behind her. We knew what to expect. If you go inside, three or four feet from the bucket and she’s in there, you ain’t getting the shot off. She dominates in there.
“Defensively, we wanted to ‘help’ with (defending) her a lot and try to front her as much as possible, make it hard to get the ball in. Our guards did a great job on the perimeter, trying to be really tough on the ball so they couldn’t get a clean look” to pass the ball inside to Sluder. I thought we executed the game plan. Rebounding was key. Being able to rebound with them a little bit and hold them to one shot and keep her off the boards a lot helped.”
Sluder managed a team-high seven points, followed by Anna Kate Morrison with five. Lowndes quickly moved out to a 13-5 lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 22-11 at the half. Armed with a double-digit lead, the two-time defending state champions were content to play a patient halfcourt offensive style that slowed the game and helped the Lowndes defense limit the Cougars to 15 points in the first three quarters and scoreless in the fourth.
Springwood School 40, Clarke Prep 32
Tori Patillo scored 20 points, including eight in the final period, to help the Wildcats rally past previously unbeaten Clarke Prep 40-32 in the Alabama Independent School Association’s Class AA semifinals at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Thursday.
Springwood School (19-1) will play Lowndes Academy for the AA state championship on Friday at 4 p.m. Clarke Prep ends the season at 22-1.
The game started on an ominous note for the Wildcats, who had arrived in home uniforms but were designated as the visiting team for Thursday’s game. Springwood coach Lisa Sampson borrowed road jerseys from the Valiant Cross Academy boys’ team in order to play the game.
Springwood trailed Clarke Prep 29-25 entering the fourth quarter, but rallied to take a 35-30 lead with help from Patillo and Shelexia Little, who finished with 10 points.
Lake Overstreet led Clarke Prep with 10 points, followed by Molli Blaylock with nine and Brooke Brasell with eight.
North River Christian 46, Patrician Academy 37
Diamond Chankio scored 25 points to lead North River Christian to a 46-37 win over Patrician Academy in the AISA Class A semifinals at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Thursday.
North River Christian made its first-ever trip to the state tournament a year ago, losing to Escambia in the quarterfinals. Now, the Chargers will be playing for the Class A state championship against Jackson Academy on Friday at noon.
Isabel McPhearson led Patrician with 18 points, followed by Katelee Sikes with eight.
Jackson Academy 55, Lakeside School 29
Anna Roberts scored seven points in the first quarter and seven more in the second to single-handedly outscore Lakeside in a 55-29 win over the Chiefs in the Class A semifinals at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Thursday.
Jackson will play North River Christian in the Class A state championship game on Friday at noon. Over the last 10 years, Jackson has advanced to the state tournament just three times, but has never advanced past the semifinals.
Roberts finished with 18 points, followed by Bethany Clayton with 12.
Dylin White, Addy Helms and Leigh Ann Judah all had six points to lead the Chiefs.
AISA STATE TOURNEY - GIRLS RESULTS
CLASS AA
First-Round Results
Edgewood Academy 50, Monroe Academy 38
Evangel Christian Academy 42, Chambers Academy 22
Lowndes Academy 48, Macon East Academy 47
Southern Academy 51, Bessemer Academy 24
Quarterfinals
Springwood School 65, Edgewood Academy 30
Clarke Prep School 57, Evangel Christian 50
Lowndes Academy 39, Restoration Academy 35
Southern Academy 52, Fort Dale Academy 44 (OT)
Semifinals
Lowndes Academy 34, Southern Academy 15
Springwood School 40, Clarke Prep 32
Finals
Lowndes Academy vs. Springwood School, Friday, 4 p.m.
CLASS A
First Round Results
Sparta Academy 60, South Choctaw Academy 43
Cornerstone Christian 30, Crenshaw Christian 19
Wilcox Academy 47, Snook Christian 11
Quarterfinals
North River Christian 44, Sparta Academy 32
Patrician Academy 68, Abbeville Christian, 39
Jackson Academy 62, Cornerstone Christian 27
Lakeside School 43, Wilcox Academy 31
Semifinals
Jackson Academy 55, Lakeside School 29
North River Christian 46, Patrician Academy 37
Finals
Jackson Academy vs. North River Christian, Friday, noon