HANCEVILLE —
A few minutes into the second quarter of the Class 5A regional semifinal, it was apparent this would not be Athens day. Everything that had gone well for the Eaglettes in their 22 wins this season, went horribly wrong Wednesday in a 71-36 loss to Cullman.
With Cullman determined to stop Athens post players from gaining any traction, Athens went cold from the outside, shooting just over 25 percent from the floor.
“We knew they would play a 1-2-2 zone,” Athens head coach Eddie Murphree said. “We worked on several different things to beat that, but it all comes down to if you can hit shots. We missed some shots and defensively, we knew what we wanted to do, but they were just better.”
As Athens continued to miss shots, Cullman was quick to take advantage in a perfectly executed transition game. Although they had come back from large deficits previously this season, Athens found itself in a hole that proved too difficult to climb out of.
Trailing by 21 points entering the fourth quarter, Athens went with a full-court press, but to no avail as Cullman outscored Athens 18-4 in the fourth quarter.
“They are solid passing the ball,” Murphree said. “They can throw over the top and in the middle. They’re versatile. It’s almost like you have to pick your poison. We were going to try to stop the half-court game first.”
Jordan Quick and Morgan Smith led the way for Cullman with 21 points each. Destany McLin was Athens leading scorer with 11 points. Athens finished the year with a 22-12 record.
Sports
Related Photos
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Shaylin Cooper shoots free throws for Athens at the regional semifinal. Jonathan Deal
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Ashli Morris (12) wrests control of the basketball Wednesday from a Cullman opponent during Athens’ 71-36 loss to the Bearcats in the Northwest Regionals at Wallace State. News Courier/Jonathan Deal
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Jazzmin Hicks (32) gets off a shot against Cullman while closely guarded Wednesday in in the regional semifinals. News Courier/Jonathan Deal
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Alliyah Smith (34) gets off a shot over the attempted block of a Cullman opponent Wednesday in Hanceville. News Courier/Jonathan Deal
Discussion
Wallace State is end of the road for Athens
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