BY HARRISON TARR
FOR THE OBSERVER
In the world of high school sports, every game matters. Beating your rivals is important and taking care of business is a must when it comes to keeping playoff dreams alive; no contest is more important than senior night. It is a priority in the mind of every coach to send the group of athletes who have spent so much of their high school careers giving their all to represent their communities in the best possible fashion.
On Tuesday night, head coach Courtney Pritchett and the Tigers of Auburn high school did just that, steamrolling visiting Smiths Station by a score of 77-23.
Despite Smiths Station posting the game’s first points, the reality of a blowout surfaced early in the contest when Brandt’s squad began to engage the full-court press.
“This was senior night, so we gave the opportunity for some young ladies who didn’t get the chance to start all season to start,” Pritchett said. “So I think that mix up kind of slowed us down offensively and defensively. When we decided to go back with that first group we kind of got a feel from there.”
Once the blue and white shifted into their brand of a press defense, the contest was all but over. The Tigers went on a 39-10 run to close out the half, bringing the halftime score to an eye-opening 41-14.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids that can defend,” Pritchett said. “We’ve got a bunch of kids that are high energy kids. When we get those kids going and they get in a rhythm we can get a bunch of turnovers…execution was going to be key and big for us.”
To the disappointment of traveling Smiths Station Fans, the second half was another chapter to the same story. Auburn continued to build upon its upon its lead through winning the battle on the boards, forcing Smiths Station into a slew of turnovers and the hot hand of Carleigh Andrews.
“Carleigh is always, every game, her energy and tempo is there,” Pritchett said. “She can really shoot the ball well. She gets out in transition, she runs the floor well. When she’s going, she’s hard to defend. I think us being able to settle down our offense gave her a little more energy.”
Andrews’ 19 points — 14 of which came from her fourth-quarter efforts — was good for a team-high on the evening.
The Tigers’ emphatic victory brings their win total to 15 on the season and improves the blue and white to 3-0 in region play. Pritchett’s squad now turns its attention towards Friday’s matchup with region foe Central Phenix-City as the group continues to make its playoff push. Tipoff between the two squads is set for 5:30 CST.