Last week Red Bay’s girls basketball team topped the Tanner Rattlers to punch a ticket to the Northwest Regionals against Cold Springs in Hanceville, Ala. on Monday, Feb. 16.  And on Monday night the Lady Tigers, behind Allie Kennedy’s 23 points, took Cold Springs down to the wire–and won.

Cold Springs rallied back to tie the game in the final minute and take it to overtime, but Kennedy and the Lady Tigers were too much. Red Bay pulled away for the 59-49 win and took the 2A Northwest Regional title. Next stop for the Lady Tigers is Birmingham for the state playoffs. Red Bay will play Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. in the 2A state semi-finals.

Below is a write-up from Keith Ledbetter on the Lady Tigers’ win over Tanner:

For the second consecutive year, the Red Bay Lady Tigers have eliminated the Tanner Rattlers from the 2A regional tournament.

Last year Red Bay knocked out Tanner 39-28 in the regional championship game to advance to the Final 48 in Birmingham.

This year Red Bay came back from trailing 31-24 at halftime to score 39 points in the second half for a 63-53 win.

Red Bay point guard Allie Kennedy scored 21 of those 39 points in the third and fourth quarters to place the Lady Tigers in the regional championship with Cold Springs on Feb. 16.

Since the beginning of the season, head coach Donnie Roberts has stressed the importance of rebounding, something Red Bay has been suffering a lack of in the past several games.

“We knew coming over that was going to be the difference in the game,” said Roberts.

“We were pitiful in the first half. In the first play of the game we let them have four rebounds, and it didn’t get any better in the first half.”

The Tigers led in rebounds 17-11 over the Rattlers in the second half.

During the game, the lead changed six times, with Red Bay controlling the last and final one near the end of the third quarter on a two pointer from Darby Madden.

Allie Kennedy put Red Bay up 40-36 on a three pointer from the top. Morgan Pierce capped off the third with a put back at the buzzer to give Red Bay a 42-38 advantage.

Red Bay was also able to hold Tanner’s leading scorer, Kelsey Houston, to only 24 points. Houston has had much better games including the 31 points she scored when Tanner knocked out Mars Hill to advance to the semifinal round against Red Bay.

“We did a poor job with her,” added Roberts. We just let her run wild in the first half and she hurt us, but we did much better in the second half.”

Roberts said the Lady Tigers tried to pressure the Rattlers in the first half but that didn’t work so in the second half they just got back on defense.

“That helped us to stay on our man a little bit better,” added Roberts.

Allie Kennedy led Red Bay with 27 points, Darby Madden scored 19, Morgan Pierce scored 11, Hope Cook scored four, and Hannah McKinney added two.

Red Bay played for the region championship against Cold Springs on Feb. 16. Check with fct.wpengine.com for updates on local high school basketball action.