By Daniel Schmidt
Update: AHS will face Central High School (17-11) in the regional championship after the Lady Red Devils defeated Dothan High School (22-7) 53-45 in Friday’s other girls’ 7A central region semifinal.
That game will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9 a.m., also at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
The Lady Tigers have faced CHS three times this season, winning each game. AHS defeated the Lady Red Devils 54-46 at home on Jan. 9, 42-41 on the road on Jan. 16 and 62-54 in the 7A Area 4 tournament championship on Feb. 13.
MONTGOMERY — As one of the top teams in the state, the No. 5 Auburn High School basketball team swaggered into the Dunn-Oliver Acadome expecting to celebrate a win against Enterprise High School.
The Lady Tigers (23-3) more than delivered after shooting 46 percent from the field and forcing 39 turnovers to coast to a 74-18 win over the Lady Wildcats (9-19) on Feb. 20 in the girls’ 7A central region semifinals.
A quietly pleased AHS head coach Courtney Pritchett said he knew his team was ready to play during a quiet, focused bus ride down Interstate 85. That mentality was evident from tipoff as the Lady Tigers physically dominated EHS and never looked back.
“We did a bunch of things well, we executed well, our defensive intensity was there, so I was really excited about the way we started and finished the game,” Pritchett said. “Our starters are always excited to see the kids that help them get better every day in practice get opportunities on the court. It’s great to have games like this where we’ve got a cushion and can get them in.”
Now a senior, guard Braylee Winfrey walked off the same exact court as a junior following a heartbreaking 63-53 loss to Central High School in last year’s regional championship game. It left a bad taste that she eagerly washed out with a 25-point, nine-steal and eight-rebound performance.
“Last year, we didn’t end on a great note, so coming back here and getting a win was really good,” Winfrey said. “This whole week, we’ve emphasized coming here and giving our all. I feel like we did that and we contributed well and had great energy.”
While AHS’ stars took time getting involved, eighth grade forward Jailyn White started hot with three points, three steals and two offensive rebounds to help the Lady Tigers open an 11-2 lead within four minutes. A swarming defense, team rebounding and Kayden Carr’s typically excellent free throw shooting then guided AHS into the second quarter with a 22-6 lead.
After some early shell shock, the Lady Wildcats slightly closed the gap before Winfrey snuffed out the comeback attempt with a dazzling display of fast-break speed and shooting. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Winfrey had recorded 20 points and led AHS to a 42-12 lead.
Following the break, the Lady Tigers didn’t take their foot off the gas as their signature full-court press forced several consecutive turnovers and Carr hit two three-pointers. That led to a 17-6 AHS run within the third quarter’s opening four minutes and Pritchett emptying his bench.
Up 62-18 entering the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers could do no wrong on either end of the court as EHS found no breathing room offensively and AHS’ backups scored at will. As a result, game officials instituted a running clock during the last seven minutes.
Winfrey finished as the game’s leading scorer with 25 points for the Lady Tigers, while Carr and White each contributed 11 points and Isabella Paul recorded 10 points. Destiny Smith paced the Lady Wildcats with seven points.
