BY DANIEL SCHMIDT FOR THE OBSERVER
BEULAH — After the Loachapoka High School and Beulah High School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams split the season’s first doubleheader on Dec. 19, the BHS girls and LHS boys entered the Jan. 3 doubleheader seeking revenge.
Instead, the Lady Indians and Bobcats again defeated their cross county rivals, tipping off 2025 in thrilling fashion as the Lady Indians defeated the Lady Bobcats 53-50 and the Bobcats bested the Indians 60-57.
With the victory, the Lady Indians improve to 8-5 on the season while the Indians fall to 6-6. The Lady Bobcats now sit at 3-7 while the Bobcats strengthen their record to 8-2 as all four teams enter the bulk of region play.
Following opening tipoff, the Lady Indians raced out to an early lead after outscoring the Lady Bobcats 14-7 in the first quarter and appeared in control of the contest.
However, the Lady Bobcats retook the initiative with a 20-7 run in the second quarter as a stifling defense and excellent shooting both in the paint and beyond the three-point line tilted momentum in their favor. As both teams retreated to their respective locker rooms after a hard-fought first half, BHS led 27-21 at the break.
Coming out of the break, it appeared the Lady Bobcats were poised to hold onto their lead as both teams’ defenses forced multiple turnovers. Yet a fierce full-court press from the Lady Indians produced several quick scoring opportunities, leading to a dominant 24-7 third quarter run that gave LHS a 45-34 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Down 11 with eight minutes left to play, BHS fought tooth and claw to make a comeback with a 16-8 run that got the Lady Bobcats to within three points of forcing overtime. However, a timely turnover forced by LHS’ Vennecia Cobb with 13 seconds left sealed the victory for the Lady Indians.
Amanda Harris led the scoring for LHS with 15 points while Essense Key contributed 12 points.
In the nightcap, BHS raced out to an early lead within the first six minutes behind Damarion Foreman’s offensive performance. That was until LHS made three consecutive three pointers — including two by Zay Shaw — in the final two minutes to put the Indians up 17-12 entering the second quarter.
Facing a five-point deficit, the Bobcats slowly cut into the Indians’ lead through offensive rebounding and second chance points. Yet similar to the first quarter, a flurry of baskets from LHS in the quarter’s final two minutes gave the Indians a 29-26 advantage over the Bobcats at halftime.
As the third quarter began, LHS looked to widen its lead before BHS could continue whittling away at the deficit. Despite a strong offensive performance early, the Indians could not keep up with the Bobcats’ continued success with offensive rebounds and second chance points that tied the game at 39 entering the fourth quarter.
With everything left to play for, the game transitioned from a cagey defensive affair to an offensive explosion in the final eight minutes. While the Indians made a valiant effort to avenge their defeat earlier this season, fast-break opportunities on offense allowed the Bobcats to squeak out the 60-57 victory over the Indians.
Mitchell Chenier, Jordan Tyner and Shaw led the Indians in scoring with 16, 15 and 14 points apiece, respectively.
What’s Next
The Lady Indians and Indians travel to face Alabama High School Athletic Association 2A Area 6 foes Lanett on Jan. 7 and again at home on Jan. 13. Both girls’ games will begin at 5 p.m. while the boys’ games begin at 7:15 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
The Lady Bobcats and Bobcats will take on Glenwood Academy at home on Jan. 7 and travel to AHSAA 3A Area 6 opponent Dadeville on Jan. 9. The girls’ games will begin at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. while the boys’ games will begin at 7 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.
