By D. Mark Mitchell
The Opelika Lady Bulldog basketball team (22-9) will play in the regional finals after beating Pelham and Paul Bryant last week.
Opelika blasted Pelham 73-26 last Tuesday night at the Sports Arena in the sub-regional round of the AHSAA State Playoffs.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by Anita Payne, who scored 23 points. Claire Worth and Quala Walton scored 10 points apiece.
With the win, Coach Devin Booth’s team advanced to the regionals in Montgomery last Thursday to play Paul Bryant.
Region final games are played in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Alabama State University’s campus and feature four teams from each classification. Teams must win two games in the regional to advance to the ‘Final Four’ in Birmingham.
Opelika dominated Paul Bryant, scoring the first 12 points of the game and coasting to an 80-25 win.
Payne and Worth continued to shoot well, scoring 25 and 19 points, respectively.
Every Lady Bulldog received playing time in the game.
Opelika will play Hillcrest this morning at 9 a.m. Fans can listen to a live broadcast of the game on WZMG 910 or WKKR 97.7 Kicker FM. It will also be aired online at kickerfm.com and the iHeart Radio app.
Opelika will be trying to advance to the Final Four of the AHSAA 6A Girls State Championships.
OPELIKA BOYS SEASON ENDS IN REGIONALS
The Opelika boys basketball team found themselves in the midst of a five-game win streak, winning the regular season area title and area tournament championship.
The Bulldogs beat Pelham 66-63 in double overtime last Tuesday at the OHS Sports Arena.
Trey Boone led the Dawgs in scoring with 22 points. Jorden Heard scored 15 points and Jahwann Fields added 10 points.
With the win, Opelika head coach John Wadsworth’s team advanced to the Regionals to play Hillcrest of Tuscaloosa last Wednesday morning.
The Bulldogs lost a 61-56 heart-breaker to the Patriots. Opelika led until the last minute of the game. The Patriots hit key free throws late to advance.
Congrats to Coach John Wadsworth and the team for his accomplishments this season.
WRESTLING
Opelika High School’s James Dawson finished fourth in the heavy-weight division of the AHSAA Wrestling Championship in Huntsville last weekend.
This makes two-straight state appearances for the sophomore.
SPRING SPORTS
Opelika Spring Sports are officially underway.
The Opelika tennis team lost their first match to Columbus High School, 1-8 and 1-8.
The sixth-seed Laney McTier was the lone winner for the Girls (10-6).
The boys only win came from the one-seed Conner Pruitt (10-8).
The Opelika boys soccer team participated in the ‘Capitol Dream Tournament’ at the Emory Folmar Soccer Complex In Montgomery.
Coach Derek Hovell’s team went 2-2, finishing second in the tournament.
Opelika beat Park Crossing,1-0, in the opener. Tykell Jones scored the winning goal with the assist from Anthony Alba.
The Bulldogs lost to LAMP 1-0 in the second match.
Opelika beat Brewbaker Tech, 6-0. Yordy Chavez pulled a hat trick, scoring three goals. Marshall Meyers scored his first goal after transferring to Opelika.
Jafeht Marin scored two goals.
The win moved Opelika into the finals against LAMP. The Bulldogs played a full game with no score. Opelika lost in overtime 1-0.
Opelika’s baseball and softball teams will open play this week. Details will be in next week’s column.
You can keep up with Opelika athletics by following me on Twitter, @VOICEOFTHEDAWGS.
D. Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.