Lauren Estes
Special to the Enquirer

After falling twice to Decatur Heritage in the regular season, vengeance was sweet for Falkville as the Blue Devils defeated DHCA 55-49 on Monday night in a come-from-behind win to win the Class 1A, Area 15 tournament.

Decatur Heritage led 16-8 after the first quarter and 27-23 at intermission. However, the second half was a seesaw battle.

After both teams scored 14 in the third quarter, the fourth quarter featured FHS scoring 18 points and holding Decatur Heritage to only eight, their lowest quarter score.

Aaron Estes’s fade-away jumper with 4:08 to play tied the game for the first time at 44-44. At the 3:23 mark of the fourth quarter, Travis Cole hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key, putting the Blue Devils up 47-45.

Free throws quickly became FHS’s key to victory as they visited the line three times in the last few minutes. Cole’s free throw shot with 15.9 seconds left put Falkville ahead 52-49. Falkville would hit three more free throws, two by Trevor Blackwood and one by Estes with 0.7 seconds left one the board.

Estes led in scoring with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five steals. Both Travis Cole and Trevor Blackwood had 15 points on the night and hit key treys, pushing the Devils for the comeback. Nate Drinkard finished with four points and Hayden Blevins added three.

The Blue Devils will host Marion County on Friday night.