ADDISON, Ala. – The Addison Lady Dawgs hosted the Tanner Lady Rattlers at Stephenson Gym in the sub-regional round of the state tournament Monday night. Addison came in with a sparkling 21-2 record and Tanner sported a 13-12 record. The game promised to be a good one due to the Lady Dawgs senior experience and the young Tanner team’s athleticism.
The first period opened with both teams running and gunning. Both teams were pressing and playing tough man to man defense. Tanner couldn’t miss anything that they threw up and the Lady Dawgs couldn’t hit anything on their end. The Lady Dawgs were playing hard but just couldn’t find the range. The Lady Rattlers went on a 12-0 run to end the period and were up 23-9 going into the second. Tanner’s 9th grader, Shauna Fletcher could not be contained, putting up 10 points in the period.
The second frame continued much like the first. Addison continued pressing the Rattlers and the Rattlers continued to beat the press. The Lady Rattlers got up 30-12 in the second and the game looked like it would turn into a rout. The Lady Dawgs fought back led by Seniors Kaylee “I can score from anywhere” Brummett and Macey “Homecoming Queen” Butler. After cutting the Rattler lead to nine, the Lady Rattlers went on a run to close the period and Addison was outscored by Tanner 18-17, trailing 41-26 at the half.
Addison then went into a zone defense to cut down on the Lady Rattlers fast break and to stop their easy buckets. It seemed to work. Addison outscored the Rattlers 18-12 in the period and had the game down to nine points again. At the end of the third period, the score stood at Tanner 53, Addison 44. Brummett and Butler were unable to get any easy three-point shots due to the Rattler’s extending their defense, so they drove to the basket and drew the fouls on the Lady Rattlers.
The Lady Dawgs had all the momentum going into the final period. The three starting Addison seniors, Brummett, Butler and Savannah “Nanner Belle” Manley were determined not to let their seasons end. The Lady Dawgs played their hearts out and actually cut the lead down to three at 57-54 with six minutes to go in the game. That is when it appeared that the Lady Dawgs seemed to run out of gas. Tanner finished the game on a 20-4 run to win it 77-58 and end Addison’s season.
After the game, Addison Head Coach Frank Graham said, “We had some mental breakdowns on defense that hurt us to start the game. We didn’t come out focused enough. They had way too many easy baskets in the first half. We always seem to bring out the best in our opposition. I hate it for the seniors that their season ended tonight. They have done a lot for Addison Ladies Basketball and for basketball at this school in general. We have a rebuilding job to do for next year. I mean we are losing about 90% of our offense and 60% of our rebounding, not counting leadership.”
Tanner Head Coach Jordan Paul said, “We are a super young team. I mean we have no seniors and we are mostly 8th and 9th graders. We played in a super tough region and that really helped us prepare for the playoffs. We have kind of been a Jekyll and Hyde team. I attribute that to us being so young. Some games we would come out be uninspired and it showed. Some games we would play a good half and a bad half. Tonight, we played a very good solid team in Addison and we were really focused throughout the game. Couldn’t be prouder of them. Shauna (Fletcher) is a 9th grader and she is the heart and soul of our team.”
Addison was led by Brummett with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal. Butler had 16 points, two rebounds and a steal. Manley had 11 points, eight rebounds and one block. Callie “The Enforcer” Crider had seven points, 14 boards, an assist and one steal. Tiny Bracie “Money” Rodgers had five boards, two assists and two steals.
Tanner was led by 8th grader Amiya Redus with 26 points and three rebounds. 9th grader Fletcher had 24 points and seven boards. Junior Miracle Scott had 16 points and 10 boards. Sophomore Keyera Jeanes had 10 points and nine rebounds.
All in all, the Lady Dawgs had a very successful season. They won the Winston County Tournament, area regular season title, and area tournament title. Brummett and Butler both scored their 1,000th point for their careers. The season didn’t end how they wished but it was still a solid season. The seniors, Kaylee Brummett, Macey Butler, Savannah Manley and Amelia Cleghorn had successful careers and should be thanked for their contributions to Addison Ladies Basketball over the years.
Thank you ladies and good luck to you in the future in whatever you chose to do.
Roll Addi Roll!
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