R.C. Hatch beats HBHS

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Horseshoe Bend Lady Generals stayed within striking distance of R.C. Hatch all afternoon at the Acadome in Tuesday’s Class 2A Central Regional Tournament game, but they could never get over the hump.

After HBHS cut its deficit to one point with 3:40 left, the Lady Bobcats closed the game on a 12-2 run to defeat the Lady Generals 52-43.

“They outscored us in every quarter and you can’t do that and win games,” HBHS head coach Mike Boyd said. “We couldn’t get an inside game going and we gave them way too many easy shots.

“But, we’re excited for the future,” said Boyd, whose team has zero seniors. “It’s going to get a lot tougher with Lanett, LaFayette and Reeltown, but we have a lot to look forward to.”

R.C. Hatch built a seven-point halftime lead, but HBHS immediately got right back into the game in the third quarter thanks to junior Brittney Keel. Keel, who didn’t score in the first half, sank two 3-pointers to start the second half.

“Brittney getting hot was huge for us,” Boyd said. “She played really well. Jessica Harden was big for us, too, and Rachel Smothers kept us in it on the boards.”

Keel’s lay-up with 1:42 to go in the third cut the lead to 31-29, but the Lady Bobcats’ Eboni Smith and Kristy Lipscomb hit back-to-back triples to end the quarter to give their team a 37-29 edge.

Lipscomb scored again with 5:34 to play in the game to keep the margin at seven, but HBHS used a Keel 3-pointer, two free throws from Keel and a foul shot by Katie Martin to make it a one-point contest.

But, R.C. Hatch responded with six straight points of their own to end any chance of a comeback.

Keel finished with a double-double, 15 points and 12 rebounds. Harden had 10 points and three assists, while Smothers grabbed 13 rebounds and scored eight points. Jessica Williams added four points.

Lipscomb paced R.C. Hatch with 19 and Smith contributed 14. Marchae Wright didn’t get on the scoreboard for the Lady Bobcats, but she altered the game often with 12 blocks.

R.C. Hatch led early on, but two consecutive old-fashioned 3-point plays by Harden and a shot by Kaylee Jones from her knees with 4:25 to play in the first quarter gave HBHS its only lead of the game at 9-8.

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---