By Marla Jones, Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

R.C. Hatch 59, Ider 57

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Ider Lady Hornets were defeated 59-57 by The R.C. Hatch Bobcats in the AHSAA Class 2A, State Semifinals Monday night.

The Ider Lady Hornets returned to the finals for the first time since 2009.  Junior, Hannah Culpepper set the pace for Ider by scoring on a layup with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter.  During the first quarter, it was back and forth scoring. With 1:43 left in the first, Ider had their largest lead of the night with 8 points.  Going into the second, Ider had the one-point advantage over R.C Hatch with the score being at 16-15.  The Lady Hornets outscored the Bobcats by 5 points in the second and went into the half with a 31-26 advantage. Senior Dani Townson, Hannah Culpepper and Morgan Flynn led the Lady Hornets in the first half, scoring 28 of the 31 points.

Coming back from the half, Ider seemed to face a different team.  Hatch held Ider to 6-points in the third quarter and took over the lead. “We had some shots on goal that didn’t fall.  Sometimes they’d fall and sometimes they didn’t, and tonight they didn’t,” said Ider Head Coach, Mark McMahon.

With 6:59 remaining in the fourth quarter,  Hatch took their largest lead over Ider, with a score of 46-37. Senior, Dani Townson hit a 3 to bring the score within 6.  In the final minutes of the game, the lead changed six times and tied three times. The size of Hatch players was a defining factor for Ider, especially in the final quarter of the game. “We’ve always played undersized, so we had to play quicker and faster, and Hatch was just a little better tonight,” Head Coach Mark McMahon stated.  With less than 30 seconds left, Culpepper shot a 3 to tie the game, 57-57. With just a few seconds on the clock, Alaysia Norfleet scored the winning shot of the game for Hatch.

Senior Dani Townson finished her Ider basketball career with  a double-double, 23 points and 10 rebounds.  Junior Hannah Culpepper had 14 points for the night.  Senior Kaylan Brown had 8 points to finish out her time as a Lady Hornet.

Senior Miranda Jones led R.C. Hatch with 18 points. Ka’Lasha Patterson, the 5-foot-10 senior for Hatch had 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Freshman, Alaysia Norfleet finished with 13 points for the night.

“We are thankful to be here.  These girls have put in their time.  A lot of losses playing up on varsity since seventh grade.  They have taken their lumps some seasons with only two to three wins.” “The work ethic and vision of these girls is unmeasurable” Coach McMahon stated. “Tough tonight. The work ethic and vision of these girls is unmeasurable. “

The Ider Lady Hornets finished their season with a 24-9 record.