Rebels win third straight A-Junior Girls title

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The East Franklin Rebels won their third straight A-Junior Girls county championship Saturday, topping Phil Campbell for the title.

East Franklin freshman Leela Baker drained a half-court shot at the buzzer that generated a lot of buzz and excitement. The shot didn’t mean much to the overall outcome of the game, since the Rebels won 37-10; it did, however, cap off tremendous junior high career for Baker, who was a starter in all three of the Rebels’ titles.

As exciting as the end was, the beginning was much less so. East Franklin led Phil Campbell 3-2 at the end of the first quarter.

The Rebels, however, found their groove, outscoring the Bobcats 16-2 in the second quarter to take a 19-4 halftime lead. East Franklin extended that lead to 29-6 at the end of the third quarter.

Baker led the Rebels with 11 points. She was followed by Bailey Jewel with eight points, Chaley Bullington with six points, Layla Baker with six points, Kylee Santiago with five points and Madison Baker with one point.

Natalie Pope led Phil Campbell with four points. Lily Steward had three points, and Hayleigh Chaney had two points.

Phil Campbell advanced to the finals with a 25-19 win over Tharptown. Chaney led Phil Campbell with seven points, while Bella Welch and Pope added six points each.

Angeleah Smith and Alyssa Fischer led Tharptown with six points each. Carly Cason added five points, and Abby Wilson chipped in two points.