By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
Hokes Bluff girls basketball coach Jason Shields wanted to control the tempo of Wednesday’s game against Sardis.
Mission accomplished with a 47-27 victory in the semifinals of the Etowah County Basketball Tournament at Gadsden State.
“We needed to do this to keep them from making runs against our defense,” said Shields.
The Lady Eagles advanced to the Friday’s championship game against either Glencoe or Southside.
Carley Ball set the game’s tempo on Hokes Bluff’s first trip down court, hitting a three-point shot and adding another one a few minutes later. The Lady Eagles jumped out to an 11-4 first quarter lead and never looked back.
Carley is one of our better shooters,” said Shields.
The second quarter began with Hokes Bluff’s Hannah Evans and Sardis’ Allie Jones taking over the scoring. Evans paced Hokes Bluff with 19 points, while Jones led Sardis with 17.
With the score standing at 17-11 in favor of the Lady Eagles, they went on a 10-0 run to take a 27-11 lead at the half. The Lady Lions could not recover, although they briefly drew within 12 points.
Hokes Bluff held a 33-18 lead after three quarters.
Carley Ball added eight points for the Lady Eagles, while and Amanda Noah chipped in six points.