Danville upends East Lawrence, advances to area championship
For the Enquirer
Despite falling twice in the regular season to East Lawrence, the Danville girls pulled it out when it mattered on Friday night.
The Hawks ended the Eagles’ season in the first round of the Class 4A Area 13 tournament, 45-40, earning their third consecutive subregional berth and a trip to the area championship game Monday against No. 4 Good Hope.
“We weren’t going out there just to compete,” Danville guard Lanie Martin said. “We wanted to go out there to win.” Danville head coach Mallory Alberti said they went into the game knowing defense would be the key factor, and it played a substantial role in the second half as the Hawks ran away with the game. After staying tied most of the game, Danville held the East Lawrence offense to just six points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth.
“Our girls focused on the game plan and studied film. We wanted to play defense and hold them at half-court,” she said.
Despite the outcome, East Lawrence started off the game fast and got out to a 7-2 lead three minutes in. But halfway through the first, Danville started to string baskets together and took the lead 10-9 as they went into the second period.
“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Alberti said. “They’re a great team and have a great coach. I knew this was going to be a four-quarter game.” The second quarter saw four lead changes. Danville held the lead for most of the second period but East Lawrence’s Macey Austin took the advantage as time expired, 24-22, with five consecutive points including a buzzer-beating 3. Austin ended the half with 16 points.
“At halftime I called out some of the players and told them, ‘You’re not doing your job; she’s busting her tail covering you,'” Alberti said. “They answered the second half.” Both teams came out of halftime struggling on offense, but Danville was able to catch up with East Lawrence by the end of the third. Danville’s Maddie Sherrill took the lead 33-30 with a buzzer-beating half-court 3 as time expired.
The Hawks rode a 10-4 run in the final quarter to fly away from the Eagles and finish the game with a five-point win.
“I think our nerves got the best of us this round. We missed some key shots we should have made,” said East Lawrence head coach La’Crissa Martin. “The pressure just got to us.” East Lawrence’s Austin had a game-high 18 points. Danville’s Adily Alberti was next in the scoring column with 15, and teammate Addison Prater wasn’t far behind with 13. East Lawrence’s Jazzlyn Stevenson finished with 11.
