BY DYLAN HURST
SPORTS – SPECIAL TO EAN
Top Photo: Madison Martin looks for a teammate
The Edgewood Academy girls are back in the Alabama Independent School Association’s AA final four for the first time since 1990 after the Wildcats used high offensive play and good rebounding to beat out Lowndes Academy 53-43 on Wednesday night at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
The Wildcats will face South Choctaw in the AA semifinals on Friday at 3 p.m.
The first quarter of the game was a defensive struggle with the Wildcats holding a slim 12-8 advantage. Both teams began to find their offensive rhythm in the second quarter and Edgewood took a 26-23 lead into the locker room at the half.
By the end of the third quarter, the Rebels had caught the Wildcats and held a one-point lead, 33-32. A crucial point in the game occurred after a timeout was called by the Wildcats in the fourth quarter after the Rebels had regained a moderate lead early in the quarter.
“I told them at that timeout to just lock in and that the game isn’t over yet,” Edgewood coach Jason Fisher said. “Stay laser-focused, keep playing, keep fighting, and we were going to find out which team wanted it more. And in the end, I believe we wanted it more.”
Coach Fisher talked about how the key to his team’s success is their consistency in play and planning, and how he and his staff aren’t changing anything up in preparation for the coming games.
“We are going to take it one game at a time, and we’re going to play like we have all year,” said Fisher. “At this point, a lot of other coaches try to change things, but I told them, what made us successful this year and got us to where we’re at now is not by changing everything.”
Only four players scored points for Edgewood, but that was all they needed to take a 10-point win. Jaylyn Strength led the Wildcats in scoring with 25 points. Lindsey Brown scored 13 points, Kennedy Mensch scored 11 points, and Madison Martin added four points.
For the Rebels, Haley Briggs led the team in scoring with 14 points. Abigail Glushick scored 11 points, and Molly Powell scored nine points. Harley Hooper scored six points and Carolyn Jean Forest added two points.
Lowndes Academy coach Matt Marshall said the game turned in Edgewood’s favor on the strength of the Wildcats’ rebounding ability.
“I think more than anything we had some shots not fall, and (Edgewood) had some that started falling,” said Marshall. “I just told them the big thing that happened was that every time we were winning the rebounding battles, we were taking the lead, and every time (Edgewood) was winning the rebounding battles, they were taking the lead.”
After falling just short in the finals last year, the Rebels had high expectations for the 2022 season, but Marshall had high praise for both teams after the game.
“I am super proud of my girls,” he said. “We had a good game plan and I thought my girls executed it very well. And hats off to Edgewood. They took it more than we lost it.”
