MOULTON – Fairview Lady Aggies basketball coach Mary Lauren Hartline stayed around the Lawrence County High School Gymnasium Monday night to scout her next opponent in the AHSAA 5A, Area 14 Tournament.
After the Lady Aggies topped Russellville 56-30, No. 1 seed Lawrence County shot its way to a 74-38 victory over West Point by a devastating 3-point attack.
In learning that was the best single-game performance for Lawrence County this season (the Lady Red Devils buried the Lady Warriors with 15 treys including seven in the third period that created a large margin in the final score.), Hartline had to be wondering if Lawrence County shoot themselves out of a good performance in Thursday’s championship with her Lady Aggies following this outing with 45 points on three-point scoring, 27 points coming on threes in the second half.
Fairview used a theme like the Denver Broncos did on Super Bowl Sunday. The Lady Aggies won due to defense. Fairview allowed Russellville three field goals in the second half and 12 percent shooting, giving up just 10 points.
The No. 2 seed Lady Aggies were ahead 32-20 at the break and took control of the second half from the defensive side with the offense hitting for 15 points in the third and closing out the fourth quarter for nine points.
Taylor Yeager scored 18 points, hit four of seven from 3-point range and handed out five assists to give the Lady Aggies their 21st win of the season against six losses and a second straight berth to the 5A, Area 14 championship.
Taylor tossed in 16, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots, while McKinna Yearwood and Abby Schnittker came off the bench to deliver eight and six points, combining for five of nine field goals.
The West Point-Lawrence County game was almost even through the first five and a half minutes. A three by the Lady Warriors’ Tess Hembree had West Point on the heels of Lawrence County, trailing 9-8.
But West Point was scoreless for the rest of the quarter in which Lawrence County finished with nine straight and started to add the 3-point attack to its game plan, getting six to fall in the second period to extend the lead to 34-18.
The Lady Warriors got ambushed in the third with seven of the eight FGs scored by Lawrence County coming outside the arch and a 24-10 advantage on the scoreboard. Lawrence County led 58-28 with one period left in this semifinal game.
UAB signee Rachael Childress popped in 22 points to lead four double-figure scorers for 24-4 Lawrence County. Her last two baskets were threes near the midway point of the fourth in seeing the lead extend to 66-31.
Hembree produced 10 points including seven in a row in the third in her final game in a West Point uniform. Olivia Ball added eight and Alexia Shaddix got seven.
Fairview and Lawrence County tip off for the area championship Thursday at 7 p.m. on the campus in Moulton. The Lady Red Devils are 7-0 in the area and 2-0 vs. the Lady Aggies, beating Fairview 45-37 last month in Lawrence County.
