Red Bay defeats Mars Hill for area title

By Staff
Kim West
RED BAY – The fifth-ranked Red Bay girls used a smothering defense to hold Mars Hill star Sarah Bailey to only 12 points en route to a 52-46 win over the Lady Panthers in the Class 2A, Area 16 tournament championship game Saturday.
Bailey, who poured in 57 points in the semifinals, was a non-factor as Red Bay double and triple-teamed her from start to finish.
After trailing by two at the end of the third quarter, Red Bay took control in the fourth quarter for the win, which allows the Lady Tigers to host Tanner, who lost in overtime to Hatton in the Area 15 finals, tomorrow at 7 p.m. The winner will advance to the Northwest Regional tournament at Wallace State in Hanceville.
Chelsey McWilliams converted two layups to break a 38-38 tie and Brittany Scott followed with six straight points to put away Mars Hill (17-10).
Whitney Sharp led Red Bay (22-8) with 12 points, while Scott added nine points.
Darby Rapphun paced Mars Hill with four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 14.