By By Chandler Myers
Atmore’s Lady Blue Devils replayed the Hillcrest Lady Jaguars Thursday night in Hillcrest, and it was almost an exact replay of the previous match up with mirrored results.
The Lady Blue Devils (15-9, 3-3) redeemed themselves by defeating the Lady Jaguars 61-54 after they lost to the Lady Jaguars by the same score on Dec. 11.
The game was evenly matched through all four quarters with neither team ever getting a large lead.
In the first quarter, the Lady Blue Devils and Lady Jaguars battled back-and-forth, but ended the quarter knotted at 16.
ECHS gained a small advantage in the second quarter as they outscored the hosting Lady Jaguars 17-15 heading into halftime. As the teams entered the locker room, the Lady Blue Devils led 33-31.
Lady Blue Devils head coach Ray Greer said both teams came into the game ready to win.
After halftime, the teams continued to fight for the lead with ECHS losing their slim advantage.
In the third quarter, the Lady Jaguars clawed their way back into the game and poured in 11 points, while only giving up nine to the Lady Blue Devils. The 42-42 tie at the end of the third would be as close as they would get though.
The Lady Blue Devils took command of the final period of play by knocking down shots and putting 19 points on the board. The Lady Jaguars could only manage 12 of their own, and ECHS walked away with a win.
Greer said his team eliminated mistakes in the second half and hit good shots.
Lady Blue Devils senior guard Latesha Lee controlled the floor and proved it by scoring 30 points in the win.
Seniors Megan Hartley and Courtney English scored nine points apiece for ECHS.
T.R. Miller 51
ECHS 48
The Lady Blue Devils played the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers on Tuesday night, but the third time proved not to be the charm as they fell 51-48 to the Lady Tigers at ECHS on senior night.
The final game proved to be the best match up between the rivals as it was the closest of the three games. In the previous match ups, Miller defeated the Lady Blue Devils 50-38 on Dec. 5 and 60-40 on Dec. 20 in the Escambia County tournament.
The Lady Blue Devils (14-9, 3-3) started the fire with a small steam of momentum and took a slim lead over the Lady Tigers in the first quarter.
In the first quarter, both teams fought up and down the court, but ECHS scored 10 points, and held the Lady Tigers to nine.
Following the first quarter, the game stayed tight and the results were about the same as the first.
ECHS chipped in 10 more points before halftime, while the Lady Tigers of T.R. Miller added eight to their total. As the teams headed to the locker room, the Lady Blue Devils led 20-17.
Lady Blue Devils head coach Ray Greer said the first half was the strongest his team had played against Miller this season.
After halftime, the Lady Tigers crept back into the game and cut the three-point Lady Blue Devils lead to two.
In the third quarter, Miller came out to the court and scored at will. The Lady Tigers poured in 18 points, but the Lady Blue Devils did not back down as they scored 17 of their own.
Moving into the final period of play, the Lady Blue Devils continued to lead 37-35.
A back-and-forth battle began between the rivals in the fourth quarter as each squad felt a sense of urgency. Miller came out better in the quarter as they outscored the Lady Blue Devils 11-9 and forced overtime.
Momentum had swung in the favor of the Lady Tigers in the second half and overtime would have the same result.
In overtime, the Lady Tigers outlasted the Lady Blue Devils by putting five more points on the board and only allowing two. As the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Blue Devils had fallen to 0-3 on the season to their cross-county rival.
Greer said it was a tough loss for his squad as the season winds down.
The Lady Blue Devils were paced by their seniors in appropriate fashion on senior night.
Lady Blue Blue Devils senior guard Latesha Lee led the team with 19 points. Lee also pulled down six boards, passed out three assists and snagged two steals.
ECHS senior center Brittany Martin added 12 points in the loss, while pulling down 13 rebounds for a double-double. She also had a steal and blocked a shot.
Forward Courtney English chipped in eight points in her final home game for the Lady Blue Devils. English also posted eight rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Lady Blue Devils forward junior Canausha Crewnshaw also scored eight points in the loss. She recorded five rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Senior guard Megan Hartley scored four points in her final game at ECHS, while snagging eight boards, two steals and dishing out two assists.