HANCEVILLE, Ala. – In the Class 5A Girls NW Regional Championship on Monday evening, no. 4 West Point met no. 2 Guntervsille at Tom Drake Coliseum. The Lady Warriors, still riding their active 28-game winning streak faced off against another fast-paced team in the Wildcats that were coming off a blowout win over no. 1 Scottsboro in their previous matchup.
After grabbing momentum early, Guntersville took a nine point lead into the half and fought off any comeback attempts in the second half, with star eighth grader and eventual Tournament MVP Kenna’d Buie dropping 26 points in Guntersville’s 57-42 victory.
Guntersville’s scoring poise showed up quickly, with the Wildcats sinking shots early while forcing the usually-composed Lady Warriors into uncomfortable positions on offense. West Point caught up by the end of the first quarter, however, and trailed 15-14 heading into the second frame.
While Buie and the offense were still rolling, their 6-4 freshman anchor in the middle, Bristol Cook, was a problem for West Point’s offense. Cook and Warriors’ center Laklin Shadix traded blows early, with both sinking baskets or getting to the line as Guntersville took an early 20-16 lead. After a Jaelyn Faulkner driving lay, the Lady Wildcats would respond with an 8-2 run to close out the half with a 28-19 lead.
In the third, it looked like West Point had found new life, with the Faulkner twins connecting on a cross-court hook pass that led to a three for Camryn to cap off a seven point run to open the half, with the Warriors now only trailing 29-26. Shadix and the Faulkners finally found some rhythm, but Buie began to take over on the other end, nixing their comeback attempt for the third quarter. Heading into the final frame, West Point trailed 42-34 after Buie sunk a buzzer-beating jumper to close the third.
Buie continued her takeover in the opening moments of the fourth, sinking a quick layup, completing an and-one sequence and sinking a three from the elbow to take a commanding 18-point lead for Guntersville with five minutes remaining. Realizing the urgency, West Point picked up, with Shadix hitting a three, Kealie Harbison sinking a floater and Jaelyn Faulkner putting in three free throws. It was too little, too late, however, as Guntersville went on to finish the game with a 5-0 run to win 57-42 and advance to the State Semifinals.
“I’m proud of my girls. I had five seniors that have been with me a long time and I’ve said it from the beginning, we play with our own girls,” head coach Tom Welborn said after the game. He added, “I can’t make excuses, we didn’t shoot the ball good, we didn’t score enough. As far as rebounding, got out-rebounded, which is expected. We won 28 games in a row, I can’t complain about my team, they did all they could do.”
Jaelyn Faulkner led West Point with 15 points, three rebounds, and assist and two steals. Shadix followed with 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, and Camryn Faulkner ended with 11 points and four rebounds. Both Faulkner twins were named to the All-Tournament team.
