Brewer advances to NW Regional Final
HANCEVILLE – No. 5 Brewer will face No. 4 Cullman for the fourth time on Friday after the Lady Patriots defeated J.O. Johnson 59-49 in the Class 5A Northwest Regional at Wallace State Community College.
The Patriots had four players score in double figures, led by Riley Northway with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Savana Flack and Rheagan Harvel both had 11 points while Courtney Oldacre added 10 points. Rounding out the scoring were Cheyenne McLemore with 7 and Hannah Landers with a trey.
Brewer also hit 8 shots from downtown in the game. Oldacre and Flack hit two apiece while Harvel, Landers McLemore and Northway all hit from downtown.
J.O. Johnson was led by Shuntell Williams with 21 points and 7 rebounds while Rayven Pearson added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
After the score was tied at the end of the first quarter, Brewer scored the first four points of the second quarter on back-to-back Harvel buckets and never trailed again. The Lady Patriots held a 23-19 lead at halftime.
J.O. Johnson’s Williams hit a three throw and a basket to cut the lead to a point moments into the third quarter. But Northway hit a 3-pointer moments later to push Brewer’s lead back to four.
The Lady Patriots would extend that lead to as much as 14 points in the fourth quarter as Brewer cruised to the Regional Finals.
In the previous three matchups, Brewer leads the series 2-1 this season. Brewer won at Cullman 62-50 Dec. 8, lost at home 73-51 Jan. 3 and won at Randolph Ryan Gymnasium 54-46 in the area tournament finals Feb. 11.