By John Goolsby, For the Tribune
Irondale – Gadsden City had their sights set on upsetting the Lady Mounties in their sub-regional matchup. The Lady Titans came out firing on all cylinders and took an early 13-9 lead over Valley after the first eight minutes.
The Lady Mounties (23-5) settled down and battled back to take a 24-23 lead at the break.
Shades Valley exploded offensively, hitting three 3-pointers, in the third period and outscored Gadsden City 25-11. The Lady Mounties led 49-34 as the two teams headed to the final period.
Gadsden City, down as much as 17 points in the third period, would not go away quietly. The Lady Titans battled back and cut the Valley lead to 8 points late in the game. Valley connected on six of eight free throws down the stretch. Kiya Crayton was perfect on her four attempts at the charity stripe, and Valley held on for a 57-48 victory.
Shades Valley head coach Gary Ferguson was extremely pleased with his squad’s progress this season. “We made it to the Sweet 16 in 2019, but the last few years, we’ve had some growing pains,” he said. “They’ve continued to find a way to win, and we are really excited to have our program back on the winning track.”
Angela Williams led Shades Valley with 19 points, and Rhaegan Evans contributed 13 points.
A’jainy Tinker led Gadsden City with 18 points.
The Lady Mounties will square off against Parker at Jacksonville State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.