WEST POINT, Ala. – After taking home the Cullman County championship last month, the West Point Lady Warriors looked to add yet another one to their trophy case, as they faced off against the Russellville Lady Golden Tigers for the Class 5A, Area 15 championship. It was a battle from start to finish, as West Point held a double-digit lead at the half behind a big first half by Camryn Faulkner. Russellville, though, made a huge run to cut it to one multiple times, but late free throws by Jaelyn and Camryn Faulkner helped seal the Lady Warriors’ 54-49 win over the Lady Golden Tigers, as they take home the area championship.
Threes by Kealie Harbison and Camryn Faulkner gave West Point an early 6-3 lead. Four straight points by Russellville gave them a 7-6 lead, but Camryn Faulkner drove to the lane and scored down low, and Caitlee Simmons drained a three from the right corner to put the Lady Warriors ahead, 11-6. Later in the first, Laklin Shadix found Camryn Faulkner down low for a basket, and Patton Fell knocked down a three from the left corner to stretch West Point’s lead to 16-9. Jaelyn Faulkner added a three of her own from the top of the key to make it a 19-11 game going into the second.
A pair of baskets by the Lady Golden Tigers cut it to 21-16 early in the second quarter. The Lady Warriors looked to make it a double-digit game, and that’s exactly what they did, as Harbison and Camryn Faulkner each drained a pair of free throws, and Harbison later added a three to give them a 28-16 lead. Camryn Faulkner kept attacking the basket, and knocked down a shot down low, then later hit a pair of free throws to widen West Point’s lead to 32-18. Camryn Faulkner added one more basket to end what was a solid first half by the Lady Warriors, as they would take a 34-22 lead into the locker room.
Neither team wanted to miss a shot to start out the second half. After a Russellville made shot cut it to 38-28, Fell buried her second three of the game from the left wing, then not too long after that, Jaelyn found her sister, Camryn, down low for a basket and got fouled. Camryn completed the three-point play at the free throw line to give West Point a 44-28 lead with a little over five minutes to go in the third. It looked like the Lady Warriors had things well in hand, right? Wrong, because the Lady Golden Tigers went on a huge run to get back in the game. Five straight points trimmed it to 11 at 44-33, then a three-point play made it a 44-36 game going into what would be a wild and crazy final period.
Russellville continued their run into the fourth quarter, as a pair of baskets in the paint made it a four-point game. Laklin Shadix stopped the bleeding with a shot down low, but the Lady Golden Tigers continued to put a lot of pressure on West Point on both ends of the floor. Two more baskets in the paint, plus a free throw, and all of a sudden, the Lady Warriors’ double-digit lead was now cut to just one at 46-45. Shadix hit a pair of huge shots down low to give the Lady Warriors a 50-47 lead with 45 seconds left to go in the game. Russellville knocked down a pair of shots from the free throw line to make it a one-point game. Jaelyn and Camryn Faulkner would shut the door on the Lady Golden Tigers from the charity stripe, knocking down four straight free throws, and the Lady Warriors made one more defensive stand to help seal their 54-49 win over Russellville to win the Class 5A, Area 15 championship.
Camryn Faulkner finished with 20 points for West Point. Fell ended up with 10 points. Harbison posted eight points. Jaelyn Faulkner added seven points, and Shadix put in six points.
West Point will be hosting their Sub-Regional game on Friday night and will play the loser of Sardis/Boaz.
SCORES FROM AROUND CULLMAN
(Varsity girls 1A, Area 14 championship) Meek 65, Cullman Christian 40
(Varsity girls 3A, Area 11 championship) Vinemont 44, Holly Pond 40
(Varsity girls 4A, Area 13 championship) Good Hope 75, West Morgan 43
(Varsity girls 5A, Area 15 championship) West Point 54, Russellville 49
(Varsity girls 6A, Area 13 championship) Mortimer Jordan 52, Cullman 50
(Varsity boys 1A, Area 14 championship) Meek 64, Addison 51
