Brewer’s Madisen Adams fights through a block from Hartselle’s Lindsay Berry. | Caleb Suggs

Brewer fends off Tiger’s comeback for the win

Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

The third day of the DOC tournament at Decatur high school featured a clash between two county rivals. Both the Hartselle Lady Tigers and the Brewer Lady Patriots lost in the first round of the tournament but won in the second to set up the meeting. The two teams had already met once this season with Brewer winning the first time at 50-49.

Brewer took control of the game first as McCarley Northway gave the Patriots a 4-0 lead. Lindsay Berry cut it to 4-3 but Brewer extended it to 9-5 thanks to a three pointer from Northway. Moriah Taylor cut the score to 9-8 with a three pointer but the Patriots extended it to 14-8 with baskets from Madisen Adams and Abby Hufnagle. Brewer took the lead 14-10 at the end of the first.

The Patriots kept it rolling in the second as Katelyn Childs hit three straight three-point shots to give Brewer a 23-16 lead. Shyan Flack added four points to make it 27-16. Taylor and Madison Lawler hit baskets to help trim the lead but Brewer still took the lead into halftime 29-20.

In the second half, Hartselle worked to get back in the game. Berry and Taylor knocked in a three point shot each and then Anna Mathis added a basket to make it 31-28. Mathis later completed a three point play to cut the lead to 35-33 and then added a free throw to make it 35-34. From there the Patriots went on a 10-1 run which ended with another Child’s three pointer to make it 45-35 at the end of the third.

It looked as if Brewer had complete control in the early minutes of the fourth as they took a 50-37 lead, but the Tigers turned up their full court press to get back in the game. The Tigers forced multiple turnovers and Taylor knocked in a three point shot later to trim the lead to 53-47. Hartselle managed to get as close as 53-53, thanks to another Taylor three pointer, before Brewer pulled back ahead 59-54. The drama reached its climax with 11 seconds left in the game as Leisha Steger missed two free throw shots with the Patriots up 59-56. This gave the Tigers a chance to tie the game. However, the three point shot was missed and Brewer went on to win 59-56, moving to 16-2 on the season.