VARSITY
GIRLS ST. JAMES (19-6) 47, Brewbaker Tech 39
Score by quarters:
B T
2 15
11
6 39
STJ 14
13 6
14 47
STJ Scorers:
Barnes 16, Smith 8, Ca. Cowart 7, Richards 6, Bright 4, Ce. Cowart 2,
Kloess 2, Meadows 2
B T Scorers: Moore 16,
Jackson
10, Martin 6, Scott 4, Forte 3
STJ 3 Pointers: Barnes (4),
Ca. Cowart (1), Richards (1), Smith (1) FT (team): 4 of 11 (36.4%)
The Trojan defense was the star of the game this night in the finals of
the 4A Area 5 Girls Basketball Tournament as they
upset the #1 seed Brewbaker Tech Lady Rams by an 8 point margin.
The Trojan offense was hot early, as 4 different players
hit three point baskets in the first 11 minutes of the game enroute to
a 23-6 lead before the Rams could get any real offense
going. A three pointer by Quayanna Forte gave the Rams some
impetus to close the gap to 10 at halftime. In a primarily
defensive third quarter, the Trojans held a 33-22 lead before the Rams
scored the last 7 points to close the gap to 5, the
closest since the third minute of the game. St. James appeared to
be back in control with Elizabeth Richards scoring the
first five points of the final quarter, boosting the lead back to 10
with the Rams best player on the bench. However, the
Rams quickly scored 6 of their own to cut the lead to 4 before Cassie
Moore almost made her last appearance of the game.
Instead of taking the floor for the final 3 minutes, she took to the
Rams student section to watch the remainder of play. A
Hillary Barnes three pointer and a line drive shot by Catherine Cowart
shot the lead back up to 9, and the Trojans held their
ground from there capturing the area tournament title. Barnes was
named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, with Katie
Smith and Elizabeth Richards joining her on the All Tournament Team
from St. James. St. James also wins the right to host
a sub-regional game, against Area 6 Tournament Runner-Up Central-Coosa,
a team which upset highly favored and regarded
Elmore County in the Area 6 semfinals, while Brewbaker Tech travels to
play Area 6 Tournament Champion Southside-Selma
in their sub-regional matchup.