COXEY — Jessica Petty came through in a big way for Clements in the girls’ Class 2A, Area 16 tournament finals Saturday night.
With the second-ranked Lady Colts trailing for the first time all night, the senior recorded all seven of her points in the final period of play to help lift Clements to a 49-44 win over county foe Tanner and a second consecutive area title.
With the win, Clements will host the runner-up of the Class 2A, Area 13 tournament between Cold Springs and Cleveland on Thursday night. Tanner will travel to play the winner.
Down by five with just over three minutes to play, Petty nailed a three to pull her team within one, sending Clements fans into a roar. Moments later, she successfully drained both shots from the charity stripe to give her team a 40-39 advantage, which drew a Tiger Woods-like fist pump from head coach Sonya Marks.
The Lady Rattlers responded with a basket and a foul shot to go back on top by two but Clements freshman Daneshia Malone tied the score at 42 with a layup. Both shots by Chelsea Haggermaker at the free throw line sparked a 7-0 run by the Lady Colts with two minutes left in the game to help seal the win.
“When Jessie hit that three and her free throws, that was really big,” Marks said. “I think we just rallied around her and finished it out. Tanner played a really good game. I could tell they were ready for us when they stepped on the floor.”
Malone paced Clements with a double-double, scoring 16 points and recording 17 rebounds. Haggermaker tossed in 12.
For Tanner, Lauren Harris scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Sentoyah Harper chipped in with 14 points while Sierra Sales contributed 10.
Athens Bible 54, Skyline 37
Athena Hinkle netted 20 points to help lead the Lady Trojans to their first-ever area title. Allie McCurry followed with 18.
In other area tournament finals, the West Limestone girls fell to Madison Academy 72-23. They will face the winner of the Class 3A, Area 12 tournament between Good Hope and Vinemont.
