Emilee Cunningham rises above a Haleyville defender to shoot a lay-up. | Courtesy of Todd Barker

Alex Moore had no idea she and her teammates on the Priceville girls basketball team would have as much success as they’ve had during her senior season.

One year ago, the Lady Bulldogs struggled with injuries on their way to an early exit in the postseason.

However, the Lady Bulldogs (20-2, 6-0) finished the regular season undefeated in area play, following a 63-34 win over Haleyville and have already won 20 games before making the Morgan County Tournament.

“It’s been a great senior season,” Moore said. “When we started out, we set a goal of winning 10 games, and then we set a goal to win 15 games. After we achieved that, we said we wanted to finish area play undefeated and win 20 games. Now, we’ve been able to do both of those. It’s just feels great.”

Friday night’s win over Haleyville was a microcosm of the entire season for the Lady Bulldogs. Before the game, Priceville head coach Terri Nelson challenged her team to get a lead of 12 to 15 points by halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first quarter and then extended it to 33-17 by halftime, achieving that goal.

Then she took it a step further, challenging her squad to push the lead to 30 to get a running clock in the fourth quarter. They came through by outscoring Haleyville 26-9 in the third quarter to lead 59-26.

“We really wanted to put the game away in the third quarter and get that running clock if we could,” Nelson said. “We didn’t shoot very well from the 3-point line in the first quarter, but as good shooters are, you just have to keep shooting. Eventually, they’ll start falling for you.”

Jada Beverly led the way with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals while Moore finished with 13 points. McKenzie Parker added 12 points and three steals, followed by Emilee Cunningham with seven points and three blocks, Peyton Parker with six points and seven assists, Brianna Gwin with four points and three steals, Kayla Lucas with two points and seven rebounds and Shyanne Stackhouse with two points.

“After last year, it’s been rewarding to see these girls have the success that they’ve had,” Nelson said. “The seniors have taken ownership of this team. It’s been a great season for them.”

The next goal on the list is to win the Morgan County Championship, which begins Monday at Hartselle High School. To achieve that goal, Priceville will likely have to do something that it hasn’t done in a while — beat Class 5A No. 2 Brewer.

The only two losses were at the hands of the Lady Patriots.

“Brewer is a great team,” Moore said. “We played them twice early in the season. We’re a better team now than we were then, but they’re also a better team now than when we played them. It will be a great tournament and we’re looking forward to it.”