Hester leads Vina past Belgreen

By Bart Moss / For the FCT

Abby Hester scored five points in the last two minutes and hit a three-point shot to lift the Vina Red Devils past the Belgreen Bulldogs 56-55.

The two teams have now split wins in area matchups and will face each other again in the semifinals of the Franklin County Tournament this week.

“It was a great team effort,” said Vina coach Richie Hester. “It was team all the way. Some girls stepped up and gave an outstanding defensive effort.”

Abby Hester went on her late scoring streak after having to leave the game with an ankle injury.

“We got her taped up and back out on the court in less than 15 seconds,” said her father and coach. “It was a big win for us and, hopefully, will give us some momentum going into the county tournament.”

Vina led Belgreen 13-12 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 34-25 by halftime. Belgreen came storming back outscoring the Red Devils 17-11 in the third quarter to cut Vina’s lead to 45-42 heading into the final period of play.

Belgreen would take the lead in the fourth quarter only to see it slip away at the end.

“We missed some big layups down the stretch,” said Belgreen coach Chad Green. “We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make to win the game.”

Abby Hester led Vina with 24 points. She was followed by Sarah Johnson and Emma Humphres with 13 points and 12 points each. Sara Scott added four points, Kaitlyn King two points and Rayleigh Guinn one point.

Gabbie Moore led Belgreen with 11 points. Katie Dempsey and Ansley Tate scored ten points each. Jasmine Martin added nine points, Gracie Dempsey eight points, Emma Dempsey three points and Camie Terrell two points.