Lady Tigers finish 1-2 at Encore Classic
The Lady Tigers hosted their annual Encore Classic this past week, with 20 varsity teams competing over the Classic’s three days.
Hartselle played three of the better 4A teams in north Alabama in Deshler, Priceville and Good Hope.
Good Hope and Deshler played each other in the Northwest Regional first round this past season, with Good Hope getting a 78-76 victory. Good Hope then fell to eventual state champion Rogers in the regional finals. Priceville fell to eventual state runner-up Anniston in the Northeast Regional first round.
The Lady Tigers defeated Priceville while losing to Deshler and Good Hope.
Deshler 66, Hartselle 57
The Lady Tigers held a 9-8 first-quarter lead, with Masyn Marchbanks scoring five and Alyssa McMinemon adding four. Hartselle opened up the second quarter with three consecutive three-pointers and built a 26-18 halftime lead.
The Deshler Lady Tigers dominated the second half, however, outscoring Hartselle 48-31 to come from behind for the 66-57 victory.
Marchbanks scored a career-high 31 points, including 22 in the second half, to lead Hartselle (3-2). She also had eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. McMinemon finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Gracie Hill added nine points.
Hartselle 56, Priceville 42
The Lady Tigers and the Lady Bulldogs played a tightly contested first half. Hartselle led 20-18 after the first quarter, and Priceville took a halftime lead of 28-27 in a low-scoring second quarter.
The Lady Tigers (4-2) began to pull away in the third, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 15-10 to grab a 42-38 lead heading to the fourth quarter. The Hartselle defense shut down the Priceville offense, holding the Bulldog girls to four points in the final quarter.
The Lady Tigers scored 14 points to make the final score 56-42.
Marchbanks once again scored a career high, this time finishing with 32 points. She also finished with a career-high 13 steals. Kaitlyn Hogan added six points and six rebounds, while Karleigh Shipley had five points.
Priceville was led by freshman Leslie Hames, who finished with 14 points. Her sister, Lauren, added nine points.
Good Hope 57, Hartselle 53
Good Hope jumped out to a 15-8 first-quarter lead with four three-pointers.
The Lady Raiders extended the lead to 21-8 with two more three-pointers to start the second quarter; however, the Lady Tigers battled back, outscoring the Lady Raiders 20-10 to close the first half. Good Hope led 31-28 at halftime.
The Lady Raiders dominated the third quarter, outscoring Hartselle 18-2 to extend their lead to 49-30.
The Lady Tigers (4-3) opened the fourth quarter on a 17-5 run to cut the Good Hope lead to 54-47. Hartselle closed the game with a 6-3 run to make the final score 57-53.
Marchbanks scored a career high for the third game in a row, netting 36 points in the loss. She also had eight steals, four rebounds and three assists. Hogan added eight points.
