Lady Panthers’ fight to advance fall short in semifinal
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
BIRMINGHAM — After running roughshod through the playoffs, the Lanett High School girls’ basketball team dreamed of making its first-ever state championship game with a win over No. 10 Cold Springs High School.
The Lady Panthers (18-10) will now have to wait at least a year to turn those dreams into reality after falling to the Lady Eagles (24-10) 55-43 on March 2 in the girls’ 2A state tournament semifinals.
While the final stat sheet didn’t feature any glaring differences, the game came down to two things: LHS’ inability to convert offensive rebounds into points and CSHS shooting 43%.
Lady Panthers head coach Charlie Williams attributed those stat lines among other things to his team’s defeat, saying his program still must improve to get over the state semifinal hump.
“When you come up here, it's all about the small things — who boxes out in a crucial time, who makes the right free throw, who makes the correct pass,” Williams said. “I'm proud of my program. I know I haven't been able to get over that hurdle yet here. I've been here four times now in seven years, and I just haven't been able to get over that hurdle. There's on me. It's not on these young ladies, they work their butts off.”
In her final game wearing black and gold, senior guard Nakeriona Heard again showcased her do-all skillset by recording 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals. She thanked those who supported a six-year journey that began with her hanging around the court as a seventh grader eager to play.
“I want to thank everybody that’s helped me come through Lanett High School,” Heard said. “It was a very, very, very long journey. It had a lot of ups and downs, but I just want to say thank you to all my friends, family, coaches and teammates. They were there for me through a lot of things.”
LHS stormed the court with a high-energy press that forced several CSHS turnovers and held the Lady Eagles scoreless through the game’s first three minutes. However, that defensive dominance didn’t last, and CSHS recovered to go on an 11-7 run that tied the game at 11 entering the second quarter.
Having felt each other out, both teams settled into a more sustainable pace. That changed around the 5:38 mark as the Lady Eagles found pockets in the Lady Panthers’ defense and took a 22-15 halftime lead over the Lady Panthers despite some quality shots by Makenley James and Heard.
Things then went from bad to worse for LHS early in the third quarter after the Lady Eagles continued dominating the offensive and defense paint and the Lady Panthers went cold at the free throw line. By the time the quarter ended, the deficit had snowballed into a 42-26 CSHS lead and presented LHS with a massive hurdle to overcome.
Desperation set in for a Lady Panthers squad facing a do-or-die situation, and they responded with a bold full-court press that delivered a 7-0 run within the first three minutes. Despite that start to the fourth quarter, the Lady Eagles’ three-point shooting and 16-point lead both proved too much to overcome.
James led LHS with 17 points, while Heard chipped in 11 points. Ella Dickerson finished as the game’s leading scorer with 22 points for CSHS.
