The Lady Bulldogs won the 2013 Bulldog Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 16.

By Brannon King

For the FCT

BELGREEN – The Belgreen Lady Bulldogs got their season off to a successful start by winning the Bulldog Tip-Off Tournament.

The tournament brought teams from all over the state of Alabama to Belgreen to face each other in the event that was similar to what fans would enjoy in post-season play.

In the opening game, Belgreen defeated the Cherokee Indians by a score of 65-31.

The Lady Bulldogs (3-0) were led in scoring by Laken Bragwell who had 13 points. Lexie Bragwell and Breanna Wood each scored 10 points in the victory.

Eighth grader, Jasmine Martin led the team with six steals and five assists. Hanna Taylor also brought down eight rebounds.

Game 2 of the morning featured Talladega County Central and Fayette County. Talladega County Central won by a score of 45-27.

In Game 3, Pickens County defeated the Parkway Christian Academy Wildcats, 51-30.

Game 4 of the day was won by Fayette County over Cherokee, 48-35.

Belgreen took the floor again when the Lady Bulldogs faced the Shoals Christian Flame in Game 5. The Lady Bulldogs were too much for the young Shoals Christian team as Belgreen won by a score of 72-17.

Allyson Bragwell and Lexie Bragwell each had 16 points in the game while Abby Hester had seven assists for Belgreen.

Shoals Christian scored only four points in the second half, all coming in the third quarter.

Game 6 saw the Talladega County Central team defeat the Pickens County Tornadoes by a score of 54-43 to advance to the title game.

In game 7, Parkway Christian beat Shoals Christian, 54-21.

The championship game featured the Belgreen Lady Bulldogs and the Talladega County Central Fighting Tigers. Belgreen took the game by a score of 50-40.

A trio of Bragwells all scored in double figures for the Lady Bulldogs. Laken Bragwell had 15 points followed by Lexie Bragwell’s 13 points and Allyson Bragwell finished with 11.

Destinee Garrett led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 16 points followed by Tiarrial Duncan with 14.

Belgreen Lady Bulldogs head coach Richie Hester was pleased by his team’s performance throughout the tournament.

“We knew we had teams coming in from all over the state and we feel like we can play with anybody in the state of Alabama, and I believe we proved it today,” Hester said.

“We are team-oriented and that makes a big difference. We are young but they handled the ball well. They are shooting well and playing hard defense.”

With the early confidence gained by the tournament victory, the Lady Bulldogs are looking forward to the rest of the season.