By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – The last time the Cherokee County Lady Warriors and Alexandria Lady Valley Cubs played on the basketball court, the Lady Warriors had an uncharacteristic night.
They committed 29 turnovers and missed 15 free throws, but somehow they managed to earn an eight point victory on Jan. 22.
“It’s been an emphasis since we played them,” head coach Richard Barton said. “They’ve done a really good job responding this year when we’ve challenged them this season. There are games where we see things that we didn’t do well. We challenge them and we go to practice and we work at it. They take pride in coming out and showing it the next game.”
On a night where the volleyball team received their Class 4A state championship rings, the basketball Lady Warriors were determined not to let such a special night end on a sour note. They played arguably their best game of the season to clinch another Area 12 championship and win their 22nd consecutive game in a row in a 68-30 victory.
The reward for the third-ranked Lady Warriors (29-2) is a home sub-regional game on Friday against the Area 16 runner-up, either North Jackson or Plainview. Those two teams play for their area title on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Alexandria will travel to the Area 16 winner.
“We had a good game plan,” Barton said. “We wanted to switch some things up. We got in the zone a little bit and we were able to get out on their shooters. They really didn’t see a whole lot go in in the first half.
“We wanted it tonight. We controlled the boards most of the game. We were getting boards and getting it out quick and getting up the floor. They didn’t have the opportunity to put the pressure on us like they did over there (on Jan. 22).”
Leading the Lady Warrior rout was Tournament Most Valuable Player Nevaeh Gaidurgis. She delivered 18 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.
“We made sure we weren’t going to let them win,” Gaidurgis said. “We were locked in all day.”
Cherokee County jumped out to a 23-15 first-quarter lead and extended that into a 20-point bulge at halftime at 37-17.
Cherokee County’s defense continued to be stellar in the third quarter. The Lady Warriors held Alexandria scoreless in the quarter until 1:58 remaining when LaNajia Redwine made a layup to make it a 51-19 game. The Lady Warriors led 57-21 after three quarters.
“We’ve been pretty consistent,” Barton said. “That’s how we’ve been playing the past few games – the North Sand Mountain game, the Boaz game. Our shots have been falling and we’ve been taking care of the basketball. That’s been the difference. We’re not giving teams extra possessions.”
Ellisan Givens, Brooklynn Bruce, and Marie Crane each added 11 points for the Lady Warriors. Givens also contributed five steals, four rebounds, three assists, and a block. Bruce added three boards, three steals, and two assists. Crane sank three 3-pointers.
Jolie Alexander and Deannia Starr both finished with five points. Starr also grabbed seven rebounds and had a pair of assists.
Givens, Bruce, Crane, and Starr were all-tournament selections.
“We’ve just been really focusing on working together as a team and coming together as a team,” Givens said. “It’s not I, it’s we. You get just as excited if it’s you scoring or someone else. It doesn’t matter. We all get excited for everybody. We’re just playing as a team.”
Charlee Parris and Jacee Brooks led the Lady Cubs with eight points apiece. Zoey Wilson finished with five points.
Parris, Wilson, and Redwine represented Alexandria on the all-tournament team.
With another area championship under their belts, Barton said the Lady Warriors have turned the page to the sub-regional round.
“The last four years we’ve been able to host a sub-regional game, and our home environment is really good, especially when it gets this deep into the season,” he said. “Our community realizes we’ve got it going on. It gets a little crazy in here. Having a small gym, it creates a really good home environment. We’d much rather be playing here and having that second-place team coming to us rather than us having to travel to somewhere like Plainview and play them on the road.”
“Our fans always show up and show out,” Givens added. “Just being able to play in this environment and play that game here is so important.”
