VINEMONT – Winston County guard Kaycie Giamanco made her only field goal of the game count. It came with seven seconds remaining and lifted the Lady Yellow Jackets by Oneonta 48-46 Monday night in the opener of the Vinemont Girls’ Tip-Off Tournament.
Winston County now will play New Hope, who used a 14-2 run late in the first period to break a tie and go on to down the Vinemont Lady Eagles 54-33.
The championship game will be Tuesday at approximately 7 p.m.
Vinemont and Oneonta will begin a busy day of hoops on Election Day with a 4 p.m. battle for third place.
Winston County had control of the game early with Oneonta, taking a 12-4 lead after the first 8:00.
But it was Oneonta that came back on a solid second quarter, outscoring the Lady Jackets 16-5 and leading at halftime, 20-17.
Savana Robertson sparked Oneonta with 10 points by halftime as the game would go through a series of momentum shifts to entertain the crowd in the first game of the 2016-17 Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) basketball season.
Winston County won the third period scoring by a 19-6 margin and led 36-26.
Down but not out, Oneonta rallied in the final period with five players scoring, and the game was tied at 46-46 in the closing seconds.
Winston County went to work with Giamanco open from the top of the circle. She ripped the shot for her only basket that broke the tie.
Oneonta's final attempt after a timeout ended with Winston County blocking a try by Jordan Criswell as time ran out and the Lady Jackets celebrated a thrilling triumph.
Hannah Alexander paced Winston County with 18 points, Abby West scored 13 and Saige Blanton tossed in seven.
For Oneonta, Robertson led the team with 13, Criswell pumped in 12, Makayla Ledding had eight.
Vinemont unable to cool off a hot New Hope team:
The Lady Eagles were able to match New Hope score for score through the first 4:00 with the game even at 7-7. Then the Lady Indians used the scoring of Emma Nunnelly to key a 14-2 swing and it was 21-9 New Hope after the opening period.
New Hope hit five shots in the second to only two for Lance Lay's Lady Eagles and extended the advantage to 33-13 at the break.
Leading 39-19 going to the fourth period, New Hope's margin was cut into by Vinemont with an 8-1 run as Sadie Stanley set the tone for the Lady Eagles at the beginning of the quarter.
Vinemont was behind 40-27 with 4:00 remaining. Lillie Webster took over scoring duties for New Hope, finishing with nine in the final period and the Lady Indians closed out the game on a 14-6 run, punching a ticket to the championship contest opposite Winston County.
Nunnelly was on fire for New Hope with 18 while Webster finished with 17, scoring four times from downtown.
Stanley had a 13-point performance in the opener for Vinemont, followed by Kelsey Rogers with eight, Leigh Ann Smithson six, Maddie Woods four and Maddie Harbison two.
Vinemont shook off a sluggish first half with only 13 points, scoring 20 in the second half, hitting 10 field goals. The Lady Eagles had to overcome losing point guard Andrea Dierment to five fouls in the second half and forward Sarah Smith leaving the game with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.
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