By Loyd McIntosh, For The Tribune
PELL CITY – After a dreadful first half, the Shades Valley girls basketball team mounted a furious comeback effort, but fell just short on the road in Pell City Tuesday night, 42.
Shades Valley managed only 10 points in the first quarter and was held to six points in the second as they trailed the Pell City Lady Panther 32-16 at halftime.
However, Shades Valley, led by the seniors Angela Williams and Trinity Collier, battled back on both ends of the floor to lead Shades Valley to outscore the Lady Panthers 26-14 in the second half in the losing effort.
Williams practically took over in the third quarter, stealing multiple Pell City passes and leading to several fast-break opportunities for the Lady Mounties. Williams scored on several transition layups and hit a key three-pointer as the momentum appeared to shift in Shades Valley’s favor during the third period.
However, Pell City continued to answer, creating their own fast-break opportunities off turnovers and hitting one open looks, including a huge three-pointer from senior Reagan Tarver to keep the lead at nine points, 43-31 as the third quarter drew to a close.
The Lady Mounties stepped up the defensive pressure on the Lady Panthers, creating multiple turnovers in the fourth quarter as Williams and Carver continued to give Shades Valley a chance late in the game.
Williams would pull the Lady Mounties to within two points after stealing another pass near midcourt. Establishing possession in the front court, Williams missed an open look at a three-pointer, but collected her own rebound, banking a shot off the glass to close the gap to just two points, 44-42, with 2:31 to play in the game.
Later in the fourth, however, Collier fouled out and Williams was called for a controversial over-the-back foul on an offensive rebound that could have led to Shades Valley tying the game. In the end, Pell City hung on for dear life, defeating Shades Valley by just four points, 46-42.
Despite the effort to almost snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Shades Valley Head Coach Gary Ferguson said the poor start put them in a position where they shouldn’t have been in the forest place.
“We should never have been in this position, first of all,” said Ferguson. “I’m proud of the fight and the comeback, but we should never have been in that situation.”
Williams led the Lady Mounties with 19 points, 15 in the second half. With the loss, Shades Valley falls to 9-4 overall, and 1-1 in 6A Area 10 action. Shades Valley will take on the Spartans of Mountain Brook at Mountain Brook High School on Friday, January 13.