WEST POINT, Ala. – For the second consecutive season, the West Point Lady Warriors have defeated East Limestone in the sub-regionals and will move on to play in the Northwest Regional Tournament at Wallace State. The Lady Warriors trailed at the half but got big baskets when they needed them in the second half and managed to topple the Lady Indians 57-50, earning a spot at the Northwest Regional.
West Point fell behind early but rallied as the game progressed and fought its way back in front. Lady Warriors Head Coach John Wellborn was proud of how all his kids fought through the adversity and pointed out a huge contribution off the bench that kept them in the game down the stretch.
“We’ve got seven seniors and they don’t want to lose. They don’t want to lose so we battled through and made just enough plays to win the game,” Wellborn said. “We didn’t play very well, missed 14 foul shots but they made the plays at the end to win the ball game. When you’ve got a senior in Molly Pendley that comes off the bench and finishes with 15 that helps, and she was hitting big, big shots. That’s what she does, Molly is a gamer.”
East Limestone jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening quarter before a Ryleigh Jones bucket and Miriam Oldacre triple cut the lead to one with three minutes to play in the period. Pendley pulled down an offensive board and put it back in to give West Point a 9-8 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first and baskets from Mackenzie Carter, Lexi Shadix and Miriam Oldacre kept the Lady Warriors in front 15-13 going into the second quarter.
The Lady Indians began to pull back ahead early in the second but another basket from Carter cut the lead to 22-19 midway through the period. Pendley buried her first three of the night to hold the lead to four with two minutes to play in the opening half and a steal by Jones led to an easy bucket for Shadix that trimmed the lead to 26-24. Miriam Oldacre laid another one in to tie the game at 26 with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter but West Point went into the locker room trailing East Limestone 28-27 at the break.
Back to back scores by Miriam Oldacre and Shadix gave the Lady Warriors a 1-point lead at the start of the second half but the Lady Indians fought back to take a 37-36 lead with three minutes to play in the third. Pendley then drilled back to back three-pointers from the left wing to give West Point a 42-38 advantage late in the period and the Lady Warriors went into the final frame with a 4-point lead.
Another Pendley bucket extended the lead to 44-38 at the start of the fourth quarter and Micah Oldare knocked down a three to make it 47-39 with six minutes to play. A pair of free throws from Shadix added to the lead midway through the fourth but the Lady Indians were able to chip away and trim the lead to three with just under three minutes remaining in the game. A steal by Miriam Oldacre led to another basket for Pendley that gave West Point 52-47 lead with two minutes to play and Miriam netted five free throws in the final minute of the game to ice it for the Lady Warriors and secure a 57-50 victory along with a spot at this year’s Northwest Regional.
Miriam Oldacre led West Point with 16 points in the win, followed by Shadix and Pendley who each posted 15. Carter added six for the Lady Warriors, Micah Oldacre finished with three and Jones scored two.
West Point will be on the floor at Tom Drake Coliseum Saturday at noon. The opponent has yet to be determined.
Other Monday sub-regional scores:
Cold Springs 87 – Sumiton Christian 24 (varsity girls)
The defending state champs continue to roll through their opponents in the postseason and after crushing their latest victim, Sumiton Christian, in the sub-regional round they’ll advance to play at the Northwest Regional at Wallace State Friday at 6 p.m.
Athens 60 – Cullman 29 (varsity girls)
After clinching a home game in the sub-regional round, the Lady Bearcats fell to the Athens Lady Eagles Monday night, ending another strong season at 22-9.
Fairview 69 – North Jackson 52 (varsity girls)
The Lady Aggies rallied after a slow start against North Jackson and pulled away to win the sub-regional showdown and earn a spot in the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University. Fairview will play again in the Northeast Regional Tournament Monday at either 9 a.m. or noon. The opponent has yet to be determined.
Tanner 77 – Addison 58 (varsity girls)
The Lady Bulldogs fell to Tanner in their sub-regional showdown Monday night, ending a stellar season with a record of 21-3.
Midfield 72 – Hanceville 39 (varsity girls)
The Lady Bulldogs came up short at Midfield in their sub-regional matchup Monday night, ending their postseason run with a record of 10-14.
Winfield 48 – Holly Pond 28 (varsity girls)
The Lady Broncos fell on the road at Winfield in the sub-regional round Monday night, ending their season at 11-18.
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