By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – The Cherokee County Lady Warriors won their fourth straight Class 4A, Area 12 basketball championship Monday evening with a 57-53 victory over Alexandria.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Ellisan Givens connected on three 3-pointers, was 10-of-15 from the free-throw line and finished with 23 points to lead the Lady Warriors (23-3).
“Not our best game, but I was proud of the way the girls fought in order to pull out a win for the area championship,” Cherokee County coach Richard Barton said. “Ellisan really stepped up for us tonight. She was able to keep us in it offensively by attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line. She was very vocal in and out of the huddle. Her leadership and determination to win gave us a little juice and confidence later in the game. We could really tell she wanted it.”
Nevaeh Gaidurgis added 17 points for the Lady Warriors, including a 5-of-8 performance from the free-throw line. She stepped up her game when Deannia Starr got into early foul trouble, Barton said.
“We had to play without her for much of the first and second quarter,” he said. “She is a big piece for us who does a lot of things that go unnoticed, such as boxing out, which allows others to freely rebound and she is big on the offensive boards. She had five blocks and is able to affect shots in the paint. She was also key in helping us advance the ball when they pressured us.
“I thought Nevaeh did a great job when Deannia was out of controlling the glass and finishing on some short shots around the goal.”
Behind pressure in the full court, the Lady Warriors jumped out on an 11-0 run, but Alexandria battled back with a 9-0 run to get back in the game. Cherokee County held a 14-10 advantage at the end of one and a 28-21 advantage at halftime. The Lady Warriors maintained a 37-32 edge after three quarters.
“We had untimely turnovers that led to some easy baskets for them,” Barton said.
Brooklynn Bruce also sank three treys and had 11 points for Cherokee County. Libby Curry connected on a pair of treys and finished with six points.
Gaidurgis, Bruce and Curry joined Givens from the Lady Warriors on the all-tournament team.
Allyssa Hunt topped the Lady Cubs with 21 points, including six 3-pointers. Charlee Parris posted 16 points and Sumira Duncan delivered 10 points.
Hunt, Parris and Duncan were all-tournament selections. Hannah Turley and Amilya Williams were chosen from Cleburne County. Abbie Dickeson and Brooksly Thielker represent White Plains.
The Lady Warriors will host the runner-up of Tuesday’s Area 11 championship game between Oneonta and Hokes Bluff in sub-regional action on Friday at 6 p.m.
