By Bart Moss for the FCT

The Red Bay Tigers overcame a sluggish start to win the 2A, Area 14 championship Thursday night. The Tigers used some sharp free throw shooting and solid defense to defeat the Lamar County Bulldogs 47-27 in the championship game.

Red Bay went on to host Mars Hill in subregion play Monday night.

“You know, we just weren’t hitting on all cylinders early tonight,” said Red Bay Coach Donnie Roberts, who picked up his 20th career area title. “But we did what we had to do to get the win. I’m proud of these girls for fighting through some adversity tonight.”

Red Bay got out to an early 8-3 lead over Lamar County in the first quarter. Both teams knotted up a 7-7 in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 15-10 lead at halftime. Red Bay started hitting shots in the second half and got to the free throw line. The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 12-4 in the third quarter to give Red Bay a 27-14 lead going into the final quarter of play. The Tigers hit 14-of-19 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the lead and get the win.

Allie Kennedy led Red Bay with 14 points. Darby Madden and Reagan Kuykendall scored 11 points each. Morgan Pierce added five points, Jordyn McKinney four points and Carlee Humphres two points in the win.

1A, Area 13 Finals: Phillips 57, Belgreen 45

The Phillips She Bears made some slight adjustments to their full court pressure defense and their half-court defense in the fourth quarter, and it was all they needed to run away from the Belgreen Bulldogs 57-45 and claim the 1A, Area 13 championship.

Belgreen (15-14) traveled to R.A. Hubbard Monday night for subregion play.

“We were playing good defense and being patient with the ball on offense,” said Belgreen Coach Chad Green. “Then we got a little lazy and careless with our passes, made four huge turnovers against a very athletic team, and it got away from us.”

Eighth grader Emma Dempsey led Belgreen with 17 points. Gabbie Moore and Jasmine Martin scored seven points each. Camie Terrell had five points. Shellie Barber, Katie Dempsey and Autumn Bragwell added three points each.

“Emma played an outstanding game for us tonight,” said Green. “She stepped up and played big for an eighth grader. She played the middle well and was aggressive to the basket.”

Emma Dempsey, Shellie Barber and Jasmine Martin made the all-tournament team for Belgreen. Brooke Daily made for Tharptown and Abby Hester for Vina.

1A, Area 13 Semifinals: Belgreen 37, Hackleburg 34

The Belgreen Bulldogs found themselves in a tight defensive battle with the Hackleburg Panthers. The winner would go on to the Area finals; the loser to the house. Faced with a tie game going into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs stepped up their game and outlasted Hackleburg, winning 37-34.

Jasmine Martin led Belgreen with nine points. Shellie Barber and Emma Dempsey added six points each. Gabbie Moore and Katie Dempsey finished with five points each. Brianna Wood had four points and Camie Terrell two points.

1A, Area 13 Semifinals: Phillips 69, Vina 52

The top seeded Phillips She Bears eliminated the Vina Lady Red Devils from Area competition Wednesday night 69-42. The loss ended a successful season for the Red Devils.

Abby Hester led Vina with 24 points. She was followed by Kaitlyn King with 19 points and Emma Humphres with nine points.

1A, Area 13 Quarterfinals: Vina 69, Tharptown 51

In the 1A, Area 13 quarterfinals, the Vina Red Devils scored 30 points in the second quarter to help eliminate the Tharptown Wildcats from Area competition. The Red Devils would go on to win 69-51, improving their record to 22-8. It was the first Area tournament win for Vina in 15 years.

Abby Hester led Vina with 27 points. Tharptown was led by Catie Dawson with 13 points.