A disadvantage in size proved to be the difference in the Escambia County Lady Blue Devils’ regional tournament game against the No. 6 Andalusia Lady Bulldogs.

Mismatches at several positions gave the Lady Bulldogs an advantage over the smaller Lady Blue Devils (21-6, 4-2), who despite putting up a fight were defeated 65-42 Thursday night at the Mitchell Center in Mobile.

Second-chance scoring opportunities were the largest factor in the game with the Lady Bulldogs out rebounding ECHS 44-33, which helped them shoot 71 shots in the contest compared to the Lady Blue Devils’  43.

The difference in rebounds and scores stuck with ECHS Lady Blue Devils head coach Janice Kidd after the game.

“They worked hard to get rebounds and get more shots,” Kidd said. “They were a seasoned team and really showed it against us. If we had kept them from getting so many offensive rebounds, we could have kept the game much closer.”

In the lopsided contest, it was a tale of two different teams for the Lady Blue Devils, with an impressive team showing up in the second quarter, but a struggling group hurting the team in the first, third and four periods.

Andalusia opened the game looking like a Top 10 team, as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead before the Lady Blue Devils put points on the board. By the end of the quarter teh Lady Bulldogs led 23-9.

In the second quarter, the Lady Blue Devils found some magic on offense and defense to put together an impressive run.

During the eight-minute period, ECHS led by junior guard Jasmine Ireland hit their shots and created turnovers to outscore Andalusia 19-12.

Before the run began, ECHS Lady Blue Devils head basketball coach Janice Kidd called a timeout, which helped give the team a boost, she said.

“I told the girls that if we wanted to win, we needed to put up a fight,” she said. “We needed to fight to get rebounds and points. They responded from that timeout well.”

After trailing by 14, the Lady Devils cut the score to 35-28 by halftime.

The second half looked like a repeat of the first quarter, with the Lady Bulldogs taking control and not looking back.

In the third quarter, Andalusia led by senior guard Alexis Horton put the pressure on ECHS and turned turnovers into points. The effort turned into a 20-7 run for the Lady Bulldogs.

It was more of the same in the final period, as Andalusia put the finishing touches on their win going on a 10-7 run to earn the 65-42 victory.

Following the loss, Kidd said the regional experience was good for her and her team.

“It was definitely an experience for me,” she said. “That was a talented, experienced team we played, and Alexis (Horton) played awesome. She was just an experienced player. It was a good experience for our program.”

Ireland finished the game leading the Lady Blue Devils with 15 points.

Lady Blue Devil Diamond Williams scored 12 points in the loss for ECHS, while Nicole Johnson recorded 10 points. Johnson led the team with eight rebounds.

Brianna Martin and Keria Brown rouned out the scoring for ECHS. Martin posted three points and Brown scored two.