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The Andalusia Lady Bulldogs claimed the area title with hard-fought wins over Charles Henderson and Brewbaker Tech.

The Lady Bulldogs earned a spot in the title game after holding off a second-half comeback attempt by Charles Henderson and on Tuesday clinched the title with a seven-point win over Brewbaker Tech.

“These girls had the want-to in them. I think at the beginning of the season everyone counted us out, but we were all in,” said AHS Head Coach Amahni Upshaw.

As for moving on to the sub-regional on Friday, when the Lady Bulldogs will host the runner-up of the Area 4 regional tournament, Upshaw said her team will need to stay focused on each game and not look further than that.

“The sky is the limit right now. We’re looking to be 1-0 with our focus staying on the next game. That is all that matters now,” Upshaw said.

At the conclusion of the area tournament, the following players were named to the All-Area Team: Jaidyn Berry and Kelsey Horwath of Andalusia, Taliah July and Kennedy McGhee of Brewbaker Tech, Kendre Bullard of Greenville, and Harmony Hubbard of Charles Henderson. Horwath was named the tournament MVP.

Game 1: Andalusia 52, Charles Henderson 43
The Lady Bulldogs were cruising in the first half against Charles Henderson, taking an 18-point lead into halftime. But the Lady Trojans made up a lot of ground, getting to within three points of Andalusia before the Lady Bulldogs pulled away down the stretch to claim a 52-43 win.

The Andalusia defense suffocated the Lady Trojans throughout the first half. Charles Henderson scored only two points in the first period and eight in the second.

On offense, Destini Hourel and Kionni Wright led the charge for the Lady Bulldogs with Wright scoring 10 points and Hourel adding eight to take a 28-10 lead at the half.

The Lady Trojans proved they were not out of the game. Charles Henderson came storming back in the third period due in large part to the shooting of Harmony Hubbard who scored 16 points in the third, including four three-pointers. Andalusia minimized the damage with 14 points in the quarter, including another seven from Wright. Andalusia maintained a 12-point lead going into the final period, 42-30.

Things got much tighter after the Lady Trojan Jasmin Foster hit a couple of three-pointers and with four minutes remaining, Charles Henderson was only three points behind, 42-39.

That was as close as the Lady Trojans would get as Andalusia responded with key baskets from Kelsie Horwath, Jaidyn Berry, and Hourel lifting Andalusia to an 8-4 run to finish the game and securing the 52-43 victory.

Leading the way for the Lady Bulldogs was Wright with 17 points. Hourel finished with 15 while Berry and Horwath each added eight points.

Area Title Game: Andalusia 38, Brewbaker Tech 31
The title game against Brewbaker Tech was a low-scoring affair that remained close until the Lady Bulldogs began to pull away for the 38-31 win.

Defense and turnovers plagued both teams early on and easy baskets were hard to find. In the first period, Destini Hourel accounted for two baskets for the Lady Bulldogs while Brew Tech’s Tariya Respicio answered with two for the Lady Rams as the teams completed the first period tied 4-4.

Both offenses found more success in the second period, especially Brew Tech’s Kennedi McGhee who scored nine in the period to lift the Lady Rams to a 12-9 lead at the half.

Andalusia ramped up its physical defense in the second half and outscored the Lady Rams 12-7 in the third period taking a two-point lead in the final period, 25-23.

Berry and Hourel were key down the stretch for the Lady Bulldogs. Berry was strong under the basket, twice coming away with offensive rebounds that she put back up for points and in the final seconds came away with a steal that she took downcourt, drawing a foul and sinking both to secure the 38-31 victory for Andalusia.

Berry led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points. Hourel finished with 10 and Wright added six.

With the two wins, the Lady Bulldogs stand at 18-5 on the season. They will host the Area 4 runner-up on Friday, either Carroll or Eufaula, which will be determined Wednesday.