HANCEVILLE, Ala. – For the first time in 15 years, the Addison Lady Bulldogs were competing at the Northwest Regional Friday night. Addison faced off against Hatton in the semifinal round and after falling behind early, the Lady Bulldogs rallied to cut the lead to two at one point, but the Lady Hornets were able to pull away late in the fourth quarter to defeat Addison 43-33 and advance to the Regional Finals.
A basket by Gracie Manley and a three-pointer from Hadley Butler gave the Lady Bulldogs an early, 5-3 lead and Manley split a pair of free throws later in the period to keep Addison in front 6-5. However, the Lady Hornets were able to dominate the last few minutes of the quarter and build a 12-6 lead going into the second.
Anna Grace Luker netted a pair of free throws to make it a 12-8 game early in the second quarter and Molly Gilbreath knocked down a three to make it a 1-point game but just like in the first quarter, Hatton finished the second strong. Addison’s only points the rest of the period came on another three-pointer from Butler and the Lady Hornets were able to pull ahead 24-14 going into the break at halftime.
Gilbreath turned a steal into an easy basket to trim the lead to 26-16 early in the third and buckets by Bracie Rodgers and Manley made it a 29-20 game midway through the period. Another score by Manley cut the lead to 29-22 and Gilbreath dropped one in to make it 29-24. Rodgers laid another one in with 30 seconds on the clock and the Lady Bulldogs went into the final frame trailing 31-26.
A Manley free throw and a quick basket from Luker made it a 31-29 game early in the fourth quarter but Hatton was able to move back in front 36-32 by the midway point of the period. Unfortunately for the Addison crowd, the Lady Bulldogs were held to just one point in the final three minutes of the game and Hatton was able to pull away and take the win 43-33.
Manley led Addison with 11 points in the loss. Gilbreath finished with seven and Butler added six.
Lady Bulldogs Head Coach Bailey Boland and her team obviously had plans of moving on to the next stage of the postseason, but they also know how much they’ve already achieved this year. At a school dominated by volleyball and football, kids are starting to take more of an interest in basketball.
“Getting here is a huge accomplishment. Now of course I would’ve like to have won but getting here was huge for the girls. I’m so proud of them. I just told them in the locker room, they’re a great a group of girls who are tough and hardworking and it’s been a fun year, it really has,” Boland said. “I told the seniors that I feel like it’s important to leave a program better than it was when you got there, and I think that’s huge. It’s not always as important to end the season on a big win but these girls are winners because they’re building interest in this basketball program and that’s huge for Addison. I have little girls ask me all the time about these girls and its exciting because I don’t feel like it used to be that way.”
Seniors Anna Grace Luker, Emma Ridgeway and Bracie Rodgers will graduate in May, but the Lady Bulldogs will still have a lot of experience returning to next year’s squad looking to make another postseason run.
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