GIRLS SUB REGIONALS: St. James gets past Straughn; PCA advances
Straughn’s Allie Kelley works through St. James’ Ava Card and Danielle Greene in Monday’s sub-regional game at St. James. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
They had been here before and knew exactly what to expect.
That didn’t make it any easier, but the fact that St. James had played Straughn in the third game of the season on the same court certainly paid off for the Trojans in knowing what to expect from their sub-regional opponent on Monday.
“I was missing a player, which was big, and we were running a little different defense than we had run the year before, so it was really back and forth,” St. James coach Katie Barton recalled. “It was a two- or three-point game with two and a half minutes to go and we pulled ahead with a layup and some free throws, so I knew it was going to be a battle. They’re physical and they’re gritty and they’re going to get after you and make you work for every point.”
In a similar matchup on Monday, St. James pulled away from a tight game in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter and held on for a 50-40 win, eerily similar to the 51-41 win they posted back in November at the Lady Trojan Tipoff Tournament over the same Tigers.
“I was proud of the way our girls responded,” Barton said. “I don’t think we took care of the ball very well against BTW-Tuskegee (in the area finals). We played a little bit sloppy. I think we still had some unforced turnovers in this game but we took care of the ball a lot better.”
The Trojans would fend off the taller Tigers with defense, but left Straughn in the game with a poor performance at the free-throw line, where they connected on just 13 of 24 attempts.
The game was tied late in the first quarter when Ava Card’s 3 pointer put the Trojans ahead for good. The Tigers would cut the deficit to a point late in the first half before a three-point play by KK Hall gave St. James a 23-19 halftime lead.
Card connected from underneath to break a five-minute scoring drought by both teams and Danielle Greene added another basket for an eight-point lead. While Greene had just seven points, her timely baskets and defense in the paint was a huge factor in the win.
“Danielle is such a factor underneath,” Barton said. “She’s long and can rebound the ball well. And when people get around our guards and get into the paint, she was there and got a huge block. I think QT got a couple of blocks, too.”
The Trojans never panicked and rarely showed frustration, keeping one step ahead of the Tigers at every turn. By the end of the third quarter, Straughn had cut the deficit to a basket. Hall opened the fourth quarter with another 3 pointer to put St. James back in control. After the Tigers cut into the lead again and nearly forced a turnover, Hannah Grace Griggs hit a 3 pointer to settle her team down.
Hall finished with 19 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, while Card added 17, including 10 in the second half.
Allie Kelley led Straughn with 16 points, followed by Ora Hall with 10.
With the win, St. James (18-7) will play host to Alabama Christian Academy in the regional semifinals in the St. James gym on Thursday at 6 p.m. The two teams have already played twice this season, with St. James winning both games in December.
“They’ve got a really good point guard (Michaelyn Manning), a senior who’s pretty fast and tough to defend,” Barton said.
GIRLS BASKETBALL SUB REGIONALS
Prattville Christian 54, Beulah 22
BEULAH -- Hannah Jones had 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Panthers into the 3A regional semifinals with a rout of Beulah on Monday.
Ella Jane Connell added 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, followed by Avery Rogers with 10 points. CoCo Thomas added eight points, 10 rebounds and nine steals, while Sarah Williams had five points.
PCA (24-6) will play host to Slocomb on Thursday in the Prattville Christian gym at 6:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the regional finals at Garrett Coliseum.
Bibb County 55, LAMP 32
CENTREVILLE -- Chartavia Conwell and Aulliayah Cutts each had 13 points to lead Bibb County past the Golden Tigers in a 4A sub-regional at Bibb County High on Monday.
Mackenzie Lewis had 11 points and six steals for LAMP and Ainsley Klien held strong on defense with nine blocked shots, all in the first half.
The LAMP girls, making only their second-ever postseason trip after reaching the regional finals in 2012, finish the season at 6-12.
Talladega 49, Pike Road 41
TALLADEGA -- The Patriots, playing without leading scorer Jazz Johnson, kept pace with the Tigers for three quarters with some valuable help in the post from a pair of eighth graders but crucial turnovers early in the fourth quarter allowed Talladega to pull away for a 49-41 win in a 5A sub-regional in the Talladega gym on Monday night.
Jada Roberts led Pike Road with 19 points. Kelsey Williams added eight points and Gracie Branham had six points, 13 rebounds and seven steals.
Pike Road, playing in a 5A sub-regional for the first time in school history after reaching the 3A semifinals a year ago, ended the season at 12-12.