By Chris McCarthy/Editor
Westbrook Christian outscored Ashville 16 to 3 in the fourth quarter to post a 56-36 victory in the Class 3A, Area 11 Tournament semifinals in girls basketball on Monday in Rainbow City.
The Lady Warriors (20-6) led 39-30 at halftime before Ashville pulled within 40-33 after three quarters.
“We started out slow but finished well,” said Westbrook head coach Jamie Barkley. “Early on our shots weren’t falling and the girls were nervous with the atmosphere of win or go home. But our girls settled into a rhythm and found a groove, both offensively and defensively.”
For the Lady Warriors, Abby Lockridge had a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Olivia Graham finished with 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Paige Williams and Grace Cockrell added seven and six points, respectively, for Westbrook. Maddie Loyd grabbed 10 rebounds.
Lasondra Looney paced the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points.
Westbrook opened the game with an 8-0 run before Ashville pulled with 13-9 after one quarter.
Using a full-court press in the second period, the Lady Warriors turned several Ashville turnovers into points en route to a nine-point advantage at intermission.
“We were losing the ball a little bit in the first quarter and were getting beaten on the drive, and that’s not characteristic of us” said Barkley. “We also didn’t go after rebounds like we normally do.”
Westbrook advanced to Thursday’s championship game against Ohatchee, who defeated Glencoe in the other semifinal.
