Slow first quarter hurts Lady Spartans in loss
Buckhorn started hot, shooting 58% in the first half and held on to beat the Mountain Brook girls 54-44 on Thursday morning in a Class 7A regional semifinal in Pete Mathews Coliseum at Jacksonville State University.
"We came out to a big start," Buckhorn head coach Steve Clemons said. "I can't say enough about this group of girls."
Kaitlyn Hadley set the tone for Buckhorn with the team’s first 9 points in the game. Mountain Brook’s Kate Bumgarner tied the game at 6-6 early, but the Bucks went on a 15-0 run to take a 23-8 lead after the first quarter.
"I think it really got our team going," Hadley said of the early run.
The second quarter slowed down for both teams, as Mountain Brook tried to settle into the game. But the Bucks increased the lead, taking a 32-15 lead into the locker room.
"I am proud of my kids and how well they played," Mountain Brook head coach Mark Cornelius said. "We were passive in the first half, and that's on me."
Mountain Brook came out firing in the third quarter, as Carlee Dawkins got things going with consecutive three-pointers. The Lady Spartans battled, and were able to close the third quarter on an 8-2 run. Sara Carr scored six points in that run, and was a force the entire game.
Carr, a senior, ended her career with a tremendous effort, with 21 points and 15 rebounds. She, along with fellow senior Kathryn Wason, was not going to let her team go down without a fight.
“We’ve had some experiences previously where we’ve had to come back. We were confident in our ability to fight back. And we fought. We really fought," Carr said.
Wason finished the game with two points, but was a factor on both ends of the floor.
“In the second half, we came back and we showed who we are," Wason said.
Buckhorn held on in a virtual free throw shooting contest in the final quarter.
Lacey Jeffcoat had a strong second half, and she ended with seven points.
Janie Branch put forth strong rebounding and drew a foul on a rebound in the 2nd quarter. She also drew a charge in the fourth quarter, and picked up three steals in the game.
Hadley scored 14 to lead Buckhorn. Teresa Ward and Ty’Nia Dobson each scored 11 points.
Buckhorn advances to the regional semifinal. Mountain Brook finishes the season with a 20-11 record, and says goodbye to seniors Carr and Wason.