Story By John Mann
The Guntersville Lady Wildcats basketball team got a big win at Wallace State on Monday night, taking down the West Point Warriors 57-42 to take the 5A Northwest Region Championship and move on to the Final Four round.
“West Point first of all they were really, really good,” Wildcats head coach Kelly Robinson said. “So we knew coming in some of the things we had to do just to give ourselves a chance and these girls, all of them, executed a game plan very well. We knew we couldn’t stop their big three, the twins (Jaelyn and Camryn Faulkner) and Laklin (Shadix), they’re just really strong and physical, but we did a really good job containing them.”
The Wildcats got things started by taking an early 8-0 lead thanks to a three and free throw by Addison Resse Hammond backed by baskets from Kenna’D Buie and Bristol Cook. The Warriors were able to hit four straight free throws to make it 8-4 but the Wildcats stayed out in front until a four point unanswered run at the end of the first left them just one point ahead at 15-14.
Coming into the second quarter the Warriors would take their first and only lead of the night on a shot that made it 16-15, but another three by Hammond and basket by Buie stole the game right back with around five minutes left in the half. Hammond and Buie would each hit another basket, and with four free throws by Cook the Wildcats went into halftime leading 28-19.
Buie was the leader for the Wildcats offense, scoring twenty-six points in the game and going on to be named Tournament MVP. She was followed by Hammond, who would be named All-Region, with ten points and Cook with thirteen. In the first half of the game all of the Wildcats scoring was done by the combination of Buie, Hammond and Cook.
“It feels great,” Buie said. “Especially when you put a lot of work in at practice just working hard day out and day in, seeing it show on the court just really means a lot.”
The start of the third quarter saw the Warriors close the gap to just three points on a three point shot at around the five minute mark, and not long after they closed it even further to 31-30 on a pair of free throws. It would be the last big offensive push for the Warriors in the game though as the Wildcats answered with a seven point unanswered run on a three by Kyndel Gray and baskets by Buie and Avery George. Now leading 38-30 Buie would hit two free throws and another basket, sending the game into fourth quarter on a score of 42-34.
The Wildcats were able to keep the Warriors pinned down at thirty-four points for a good chunk of the fourth quarter as they built up a 52-34 lead, a run which included another three by Buie. The Warriors were able to get within ten points with just over two minutes left in the game, but a string of free throws by Buie (3), Sophie Porch (1) and Hammond (1) were enough to carry the game to its end and give the Wildcats the 57-42 win.
“We won this game on the defensive end more so than anywhere else,” Robinson said. “Made some really good adjustments when they made their run in the third quarter and cut it down to one, came down and hit some big buckets and stretched it right back out to eight.”
The win moves the Wildcats onto the 5A State Semifinal Round in Birmingham, which will take place at the BJCC on March 4 at 3 p.m. The Wildcats will play the winner of the Clay County vs Briarwood Christian game, which took place on Tuesday night.
