HANCEVILLE, Ala. – In our first varsity championship bout of the day, the Fairview Lady Aggies and Lady Warriors of West Point clashed for the varsity girls’ crown. Other than fast start to the game for the Lady Warriors, neither team was able to create much separation but the Lady Aggies were able to make the defensive stops and the free throws in crunch time to secure a 52-49 win and this year’s varsity girls county championship.
Lexi Shadix drained a three to give the Lady Warriors an early, 3-0 lead over the Lady Aggies and Kylie Quinn laid one in to make it a 5-0 start. Shadix scored inside to stretch the lead to 7-0 but Morgan Lindsay laid one in to get Fairview on the board and cut the lead to 7-2 midway through the opening quarter. Maddie Yeager scored for the Lady Aggies to make it a 4-point game but a pair of free throws from Shadix kept West Point in front 9-4. Molly McKlevy drained a three from the right wing to trim the lead to 9-7 with less than three minutes to play in the first and her next three-pointer gave Fairview a 10-9 lead near the two-minute mark. Shadix drilled another three to put the Lady Warriors ahead 12-10 with a minute to play in the first but Lindsay turned a steal into a quick basket and tied the game at 12 going into the second quarter.
Manasco scooped up an offensive board and laid it in to give the Lady Aggies a 14-12 lead at the start of the second and Yeager scored another basket in the paint to stretch the lead to 16-12. Emma Garcia laid in a transition basket to add to the Fairview lead with five minutes to play in the half, but Ryleigh Jones took one coast to coast and scored to make it an 18-14 game midway through the period. Shadix put one off the glass to cut the lead to two with less than three minutes to play in the second and Jones added a pair of free throws to tie things up at 18. Daisy Manasco went to the line and hit a pair of free throws that put the Lady Aggies ahead 20-18 with a minute to play in the opening half and McKelvy added another foul shot to stretch lead to three. Summer Mendoza laid one in for the Lady Warriors to cut the lead to one with 30 seconds remaining and Jones scored just before the buzzer to give West Point a 22-21 advantage at the halftime break.
Manasco got open under the basket and laid it in to give Fairview a 23-22 lead at the start of the third quarter but Nikki Tyree responded with a baseline jumper that put the Lady Warriors back on top 24-23. McKelvy netted a pair of free throws to retake a 1-point lead for the Lady Aggies but Mendoza hit more free throws on the other end to give West Point a 26-25 lead with five minutes to play in the period. A McKelvy free throw tied things up at 26 but a Shadix basket put the Lady Warriors in front 28-26.
Sadie Smith drove to the basket and scored to tie the game at 28 and McKelvy drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to give Fairview a 31-28 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the third. A Braelee Quinn free throw trimmed the lead to two and Tyree laid one in to cut the lead to 32-31 later in the quarter. Shadix got a jumper to fall to give West Point a 33-32 lead but Smith answered with a deep three on the other end to put the Lady Aggies ahead 35-33 with 30 seconds remaining in the third. Manasco went to the free throw line with 16 seconds on the clock and drained them both to give Fairview a 37-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The high number of fouls called put both teams at the free throw line for most of the fourth quarter. A pair of Braelee Quinn free throws cut the lead to 37-35 early in the final frame but an and-one play from McKelvy on the other end put the Lady Aggies back up by five. Yeager tacked on two more free throws to make it a 42-35 game but a pair of foul shots from Shadix made it a 5-point game with around five minutes to play. Yeager then drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 46-38 midway through the fourth but Shadix and Mendoza kept the Lady Warriors in striking distance at 46-42 after each hit two more free throws.
Braelee Quinn knocked down a jumper with three minutes on the clock to cut the Fairview lead to 47-44 but a bucket from Jayla Gohram on the other end kept the Lady Aggies in front by five. Braelee Quinn continued to chip away at the lead with a three that made it 49-47 with two minutes remaining but Yeager stretched the lead back to three with another foul shot. Shadix laid one in to make it a 1-point game with just over a minute to play but a Manasco free throw gave Fairview a 51-49 lead with 34 seconds on the clock. Manasco came up with a steal on West Point’s next possession and McKelvy drained one of two foul shots on the other end to make it a 52-49 game with nine seconds to play. The Lady Warriors took the ball out on Fairview’s end of the floor with five seconds remaining and one last chance to tie the game. Quinn’s three-point attempt was just off the back iron and the Lady Aggies held on to collect a 52-49 win and this year’s varsity girls county title.
McKelvy led Fairview with 18 points in the win, followed by Yeager with 11 and Manasco with nine. Shadix posted a game-high 22 points in the loss for West Point. Braelee Quinn added eight and Mendoza finished with seven.
2021 Bill Shelton Award Winner – Toni West, Cold Springs: Cassidy Campbell, Hanceville
2021 Charlotte Cummings Memorial Scholarship Winner – Hailee Moore, Vinemont
Varsity Girls Cullman County All-Tournament Team
Toni West – Cold Springs
Lexi Shadix – West Point
Rudi Derrick – Good Hope
Molly McKelvy – Fairview
Bailey Tetro – Good Hope
Emma Garcia – Fairview
Braelee Quinn – West Point
Kylee Quinn – West Point
Varsity Girls Cullman All-County Team
Daisy Manasco – Fairview
Molly McKelvy – Fairview
Emma Garcia – Fairview
Lexi Shadix – West Point
Braelee Quinn – West Point
Ryleigh Jones – West Point
Toni West – Cold Springs
Brooke Crider – Cold Springs
Cassidy Campbell – Hanceville
Maggie Burks, Vinemont
Sarah Finley, Holly Pond
Rudi Derrick, Good Hope
Ivey Maddox, Good Hope
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