By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
The Hokes Bluff Lady Eagles overcame both a 10-2 early deficit and a 25-point performance by Kyra Williams en route to a 50-48 victory over Jacksonville in the championship game of the Class 4A, Area 12 Tournament on Feb. 10 at Hokes Bluff.
The Lady Eagles host Handley in the sub-regional round on Monday (Feb. 13).
“Basketball is a game of runs,” said Hokes Bluff head coach Jason Shields. “Each team makes their run sometime in the game. It’s kind of like holding on to a rope.”
The Lady Eagles (27-4) got a stellar performance from several players. Senior center Kendall Johnson scored 17 points and made a big defensive play late on a ball that was heading out of bounds. She grabbed the ball and made a pass to Tylynn Register for a lay-up hat gave Hokes Bluff a four-point lead with the clock running down.
“We just happened to hold on at the end,” Shields said.
The Lady Eagles found themselves down eight points early on but were able to claw back to a 10-10 tie after the first eight minutes of play.
The game was tied at 16-16 with Hokes Bluff taking a 27-25 lead at the half. The Lady Eagles managed to move out to a 40-32 lead after three periods of play and took an 11-point lead when Sydney Ball hit a three-point shot to start the fourth quarter.
Jacksonville put together a 9-0 run to cut the score to 43-41 to make the game interesting down the stretch.
Register added 12 points for Hokes Bluff, while Ball finished with 11.