HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The first matchup of our Wednesday night doubleheader was an opening round battle between the West Point Lady Warriors and the Vinemont Lady Eagles. Points were hard to come by in the first half, but the Lady Warriors were able to build a 10-point lead by halftime and maintained that advantage through most of the second half on their way to a 52-33 win. West Point will now turn its attention to a semifinals matchup with the top-seeded Good Hope Lady Raiders Thursday night.
Hallie Wheeler drilled a trey from the left corner to put West Point on the scoreboard first, but Raylee Quick split her free throws to make it a 3-1 game. The Lady Eagles scored off a Lady Warrior turnover as Reagan Robinson laid one up and in to tie the game up at three early in the first quarter. It was a struggle for both teams to hit a basket after that, but with 2:08 remaining in the first, Wheeler hit a three from the right corner to give the Lady Warriors a 6-3 lead. Jaelyn Faulkner added a basket in the paint as West Point held a slim 8-3 lead after the first quarter.
Liberty Shadix found her sister, Laklin Shadix, for a basket down low to make it 10-3. Liberty Shadix knocked down a short jumper to push the Lady Warrior lead to 12-3 and she would convert her and-one opportunity with 4:43 left in the first half as that made it 15-3. Vinemont got on the scoreboard for the first time in the second on a Morgan Flanagan layup with less than four minutes to go in the first half to cut it to 17-5 and later on, a floater by Whitney Quick made it 19-7. A basket by Laklin Shadix increased West Point’s lead to 21-7, but the Lady Eagles cut into the deficit before the half as a Quick trey before the buzzer cut it to 21-11 at the half.
Carley Stephens hit a driving layup for Vinemont to make it a 21-13 game early in the third quarter, but a Wheeler trey pushed West Point’s lead to 25-13. Liberty Shadix put in a shot in the paint to give the Lady Warriors a 28-13 lead, but Quick scored the next five points to cut it to 28-18 with a little over four minutes to go in the third. Baskets by Jaelyn Faulkner and Liberty Shadix pushed the West Point lead to 32-18, but Reagan Robinson scored off a Lady Warrior turnover and Flanagan added a free throw to make it a 32-21 game with less than three minutes left in the third period. Flanagan put in a long-range shot from the right wing to cut it to 33-24 late in the quarter, but a rebound and put-back by Liberty Shadix made it a 35-24 game going into the final period.
Liberty Shadix and Robinson traded baskets early in the final period to keep it at an 11-point game at 37-26. Five free throws by Liberty Shadix gave West Point a 42-29 lead, but a basket by Flanagan cut it to 42-31 with less than five minutes to go in the contest. Wheeler and Flanagan each traded baskets as that made it a 45-33 game. Laklin Shadix knocked down a jumper to make it 47-33, then later on, a trey by Wheeler and basket by Liberty Shadix pushed the Lady Warrior lead to 52-33. West Point would go on to defeat Vinemont, 52-33, to move on to the semifinals of the county tournament.
Liberty Shadix finished with 25 points for West Point. Wheeler added 14 points. Jaelyn Faulkner ended up with seven and Laklin Shadix added six. For Vinemont, Whitney Quick led the way with 12 points and Flanagan put in 10 points.
West Point will take on the top-seeded Good Hope Lady Raiders Thursday night at 6:15 p.m.
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