Senior Serenity Blakely is shown defending a Sumrall player in a game earlier this season. Blakely had a huge game Wednesday at Sumrall to lead the Lady Cats to a win over Purvis in the Reg. 7-4A Tournament.
From Staff Reports
The Greene County Lady Wildcats used a big second period to defeat second-seeded Purvis in the Region 7-4A Tournament Wednesday night in Sumrall.
GCHS outscored Purvis 21-4 in the second period to carry a 32-13 lead into the locker room. They were outscored slightly in the second half, but still claimed a 54-38 win.
Only four GCHS players tallied points during the win, but all four scored in double figures. The Lady Cats also dominated the rebounding battle, pulling down 48 on the night, compared to 22 for Purvis.
Senior Serenity Blakely led the way for GCHS with 18 points and a whopping 23 rebounds, 16 of which came on the defensive end.
“Rebounding is a lot about toughness and Serenity just worked hard to get good position to get the rebounds,” GCHS Head Coach Dale Kimble said. “In my opinion she is the best defensive player in the division.”
Senior Gen Walley followed up her 18 point performance on Monday with 15 points and seven rebounds against Purvis. She also had a big shot block and two assists on the offensive end. Her classmate Kat Garrett finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and team highs in assists (7) and steals (3) in a solid, all-around effort.
The team’s leading scorer on the season, sophomore Reanna Moody, rounded out the scoring with 10 points. Moody also had three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
“The keys to the victory were pretty simple,” Kimble added. “Defensively we wanted to limit their fast break opportunities and defend against their 3-point shooting. The ladies did a great job on defensive transitions and recognizing who their 3-point shooters were.”
The Lady Cats’ 18th win of the season puts them into Friday’s tournament championship game with a chance for a second straight region title. They will face off against Stone County, the team they defeated to claim last year’s tournament title.
