MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Postseason play began on Wednesday morning for Brewton-Parker Women’s Basketball as the seventh-seeded Lady Barons (18-11) faced the Firehawks (7-19) of Tennessee Southern in the Multiplex at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
BPC extinguished UTS in a 68-57 victory to open the Southern States Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship.
“Postseason wins are tough, especially against a coaching legend,” Head Coach Steve Edwards said. “It’s never easy playing at 9 a.m. but we found a way to get it done. We look forward to tossing it up tomorrow against a good William Carey team.”
How It Happened | First Quarter
Madison Evans opened the game nearly a minute in for the first score of the game. Nearly three scoreless minutes later, Tennessee Southern tied the game 2-2. Brewton-Parker followed with a 6-2 run over the next few minutes, with Angel McRae, A’Aliyah Clay, and Evans all finding buckets for an 8-4 lead.
The Firehawks leveled the score once again with a pair of free throws and a jumper, leaving 2:11 on the clock. Cori Keats knocked down a three-pointer at the 1:45 mark to separate BPC from UTS. The first quarter closed with a 3-2 scoring stretch from the Lady Barons with all five points between both teams being scored from the foul line as BPC held a 14-10 lead.
How It Happened | Second Quarter
Brewton-Parker moved to a 19-14 lead after a jumper from McRae and a three from Keats opened the first couple of minutes of the quarter. The Firehawks responded with a 6-3 stretch of scoring to pull within two points with 4:41 left on the clock.
Evans netted a layup at the 3:51 mark for a 24-20 lead, but Tennessee Southern answered with a trey and a fast-break layup over a span of two minutes to claim a 25-24 advantage. Brewton-Parker sealed the quarter shut with another three-pointer from Keats and a pair of layups from McRae for a 31-25 lead at the halftime break.
How It Happened | Third Quarter
Treys from Evans and Clay to open the first few moments of the third quarter advanced the Lady Barons to a 37-25 lead. Both teams battled with a 5-5 back-and-forth stretch of play which resulted in another 12-point lead for BPC with 7:01 remaining.
UTS produced a 9-2 run over the next few minutes to pull the deficit down to five points, but Brewton-Parker managed to hold off the Firehawks by outscoring them 7-5 in the final couple of minutes for a 51-44 lead.
How It Happened | Fourth Quarter
The Lady Barons chewed three minutes off the clock and recorded a score from McRae at the 9:15 mark and a trey from Keats at the 7:19 mark to move back to a 12-point lead. Brewton-Parker bested Tennessee Southern 15-13 over the final seven or so minutes.
BPC went 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-12 from the foul line as Clay led with five points while Keats and McRae scored three each. The Lady Barons finished the quarter with a 17-13 advantage and managed to keep the Firehawks away for a 68-57 victory. Brewton-Parker continues tournament play with a tough matchup against No. 25-ranked and second-seeded William Carey (Miss.) tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. ET.(Courtesy of BPC)
