LIMESTONE COUNTY TOURNAMENT: Ardmore holds off Clements to advance

Published 4:41 pm Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The opening day of the Limestone County Basketball Tournament did not disappoint Monday with two close varsity games with dramatic finishes.

Ardmore hung on to beat Clements 44-40 in the varsity girls bracket in the tournament’s tip off game. What had been a back-and-forth, low-scoring game turned into a shootout in the fourth quarter. The teams ended the third period tied 33-33, but it was Ardmore that pulled ahead first to take a 38-30 lead midway through the fourth.

Clements’ Lele Anderson then sparked a 7-0 run, scoring on back-to-back possessions to pull the Colts to within a point with 1:42 remaining. Anderson had a chance to take the lead on the following possession, but her shot was blocked by Karla Hice. Savannah Moore then hit a pair of free-throws to put the game away for the Tigers.

Anderson finished with a team-high 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Hayley Patterson scored 11 points to lead Ardmore, followed by Moore with eight.

Ardmore will play Tanner at 6 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals.