HANCEVILLE– The first round of action tipped off for 1A and 6A boys and girls in the Northwest Regional Tournament at Wallace State Community College Thursday, and it was action-packed.
Hartselle 61, Athens 53 (Girls)
The Lady Tigers of Hartselle lit up the scoreboard in the first, scoring 20 big points to take a five-point lead over the Lady Golden Eagles of Athens in the first round of the 6A Girls Regional Tournament.
Athens came storming back with a 6-0 run to open the second and take the lead, forcing a Hartselle timeout. Coming out of the break, the Lady Tigers snapped off a run of their own, 8-0, to take the lead back and prompt a break in the action by Athens. The Last Tigers stayed hot out of the break and finished the first half with a 30-22 lead over Athens.
The third was full of action for both teams. Every time it seemed as if Athens was going to close the gap, Hartselle would hit a big shot or come up with a huge defensive play to keep the game firmly in their grasp. At the end of three, Hartselle held a 47-37 lead.
Down but not out, Athens played the fourth with grit and determination, pulling to within just three with the ball and 3:11 left to play. However, this was as close as Athens would get, as Hartselle pulled the upset 61-53 to advance to the semi-final round of the Northwest Regional Tournament.
The Lady Tigers were led by Moriah Taylor (19), Anna Mathis (15), Kayla Key (12) and Lindsay Berry (10). Leading Athens were Japera Harris (11), Tionna Moore (10) and Alexis Woods (10).
Hartselle will face Austin Tuesday at 9 a.m. at Wallace.
Other scores:
1A Girls
R.A. Hubbard 51, Belgreen 23
Decatur-Heritage 53, Berry 32
1A Boys
Marion County 70, R.A. Hubbard 65
Decatur-Heritage 66, South Lamar 50
6A Girls
Austin 50, Lee-Huntsville 40
6A Boys
Lee-Huntsville 68, Jackson-Olin 42
Muscle Shoals 59, Minor 36
For more information, visit http://www.wallacestate.edu/nwregionals.
