Dominant second half delivers Lanett girls regional win
By Daniel Schmidt
MONTGOMERY — After running rampant through the area tournament and sub-regional game, the Lanett High School girls’ basketball team faced their first true postseason test against No. 6 Ranburne High School in the 2A central region tournament.
The Lady Panthers (17-9) aced it with flying colors, riding an overwhelming full-court press and unstoppable fast-break offense to a 49-32 win over the Lady Bulldogs (25-9) on Feb. 17 to reach the regional finals.
During halftime, a reassuring message focused on getting back to the basics from LHS girls’ head coach Charlie Williams got his team back on track and helped them outscore RHS 33-14 in the final 16 minutes.
“I just told them to settle down and to do what we’ve been doing: defend. Once we defend, everything works out. When we don't defend, we struggle,” Williams said. “This time of year, when you wake up in the morning, it feels different. If you lose this next game, it's your last game, and if you win this next game, you're going on to greater things.”
After missing last season with an injury, star senior guard Nakeriona Heard was hungry to prove herself in her last ride on the high school hardwood. In typical fashion, her veteran presence led the way for a team that increasingly features talented underclassmen.
“It feels great to come out here and show what this name across my chest [Lanett] actually means. We came out a little slow, but after we turned it on, I just knew we were going to take it,” Heard said. “Nobody was down, everybody was cheering each other wrong and pushing each other to keep going.”
Despite a high-energy start, the Lady Panthers faced early adversity as the Lady Bulldogs’ interior defense locked the paint down and their guards converted difficult jump shots. After going down 8-0 in the opening minutes, LHS then regained their footing to go into the first quarter down 11-4.
That late momentum carried over into the second quarter, with the Lady Panthers forcing two quick turnovers to cut the deficit by four points in less than two minutes. With the deficit much more manageable, Heard’s athleticism and open-court ball control helped LHS claw its way into halftime down 18-16.
Minutes after halftime, the Lady Panthers took their first lead of the game behind Serenity Roberts’ ability to drive the lane and find high percentage shots. LHS’ full-court press then made life extremely difficult, which frustrated RHS and gave the Lady Panthers a 35-26 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Still frustrated by the press, the Lady Bulldogs forced passes in a desperate attempt to bypass LHS’ guards. Many of those passes ended in turnovers, and the Lady Panthers’ fast-break offense put together a 46-28 lead and the game out of reach with 4:23 left to play.
Heard finished as the game’s leading scorer with 18 points for the Lady Panthers, while Roberts chipped in 13 points. Maranda Ralston led the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points.
