No. 10 Kelly Pickett at the line for Hanceville
HARTSELLE – A victory with a thrilling ending is enjoyable, regardless if it’s during a summer play day or in the regular season.
That was the story for the Hanceville Lady Bulldogs in their first assignment Tuesday at the Hartselle basketball play day.
Hanceville shook off the effects of mistakes and missed opportunities by staying positive and making plays to post an exciting 37-36 comeback victory over East Limestone.
The Lady Bulldogs came into the assignment not at full strength as regular starters Karmen Johnson and Malia Howell were unavailable due to a prior commitment and an illness.
But Hanceville showed heart, something that pleased coach Christina Watson. Watson has experience returning in guards Kierra Merriweather and Cassidy Campbell, plus good size up front with freshman Jaden Thompson.
A big boost to the ball club is new point guard Kelly Pickett. Pickett transferred to Hanceville in the middle of last season after playing for more than a month at Good Hope High School.
Pickett is just a sophomore. With her at point, Watson shifted Campbell to a wing guard position to complement her quickness and ability with the quickness of Merriweather.
Against East Limestone, Hanceville played well for the first 19 minutes of the contest. The Lady Bulldogs got three field goals early from Pickett, while Merriweather, Campbell and Thompson provided scoring from close range.
Hanceville jumped out to an 18-12 lead and stayed in front until the final minute of the first half. East Limestone ended the period on a 12-run and took a 24-20 advantage into intermission.
A scoring drought for Hanceville lasted for 11 minutes. A field goal by Campbell from 15 feet came with 9:15 to go in the game as the Lady Bulldogs trailed 32-22.
As the offense came alive, so did the defense stopping East Limestone from controlling the post. The Lady Indians managed just two field goals in the final 9:00 with Hanceville taking advantage of East Limestone miscues and ineffective offense down the stretch.
A 3-point play from Pickett got Hanceville in striking distance at 36-31 with 2:57 to play. Campbell scored twice from the line and it was 36-33 East Limestone with 33 seconds still showing on the clock.
Hanceville kept the pressure up, getting the ball by a steal. Pickett drew a foul and hit from the line with 12 seconds remaining to close the score to 36-35.
Campbell intercepted an inbounds pass, went inside the paint and knocked down a 10-foot jumper that gave Hanceville its first lead since late in the opening half.
East Limestone had a chance with 2.7 seconds left, but lost the ball downcourt when Pickett stole a pass and time ran out.
The win was satisfying to all, with a young team facing a veteran squad from East Limestone and playing hard the entire way, despite going 11 minutes without getting a point.
Hanceville got a brief rest and had to meet 6A contender Austin in its next assignment following the win.
A sluggish first half with Hanceville trailing 32-9 at the half was erased with a better second stanza in which Hanceville was only outscored by the Black Bears 19-18.
Shots from Pickett and Campbell from the perimeter were a sign of hard work by the backcourt, battling challenging odds and creating a positive formula the team can carry on for the rest of the month.
Hanceville has a play day Thursday at Oneonta and returns to Morgan County with a play day next week at Decatur Heritage.
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
