Lady Tigers defeat Muscle Shoals, Mountain Brook
The Lady Tigers were trailing in the fourth quarter of both games last week. However, Hartselle dug deep and came from behind to get two wins. Each game had its storyline, but ultimately, it was the Lady Tigers’ reigning victorious.
Hartselle 52, Muscle Shoals 43
The Hartselle Lady Tigers and the Muscle Shoals rivalry runs deep, with the two teams meeting for the ninth time since January 2021. The rivalry has close games and blowouts, with the Lady Tigers winning eight meetings.
The win last Tuesday night might have been the most impressive of the previous matchups. The Lady Trojans jumped out a 12-9 first-quarter lead before the Lady Tigers tied the game at 23-23 going into halftime.
Muscle Shoals held the Lady Tigers to only five points in the third quarter as they built a 34-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Trojans extended their lead to 36-28 before Hartselle cut it to 36-33 with a 5-0 run. Muscle Shoals extended their lead to 43-36 with their own 7-3 run. However, the Lady Tigers dominated the game’s final minutes, going on a 16-0 run to come from behind to get the 52-43 win. Hartselle outscored Muscle Shoals 24-9 over the final eight minutes.
Hannah Burks led Hartselle with 15 points and two blocks. Mary Frances Itsed added a double-double, 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Gracie Hill added eight points, all coming in the final quarter. Anna Hampton Burroughs had seven points.
Hartselle 41-Mountain Brook 39
The Lady Tigers traveled to Mountain Brook on Friday night for a matchup with the Lady Spartans. Hartselle trailed 9-5 after the first quarter but came back to tie the game at 18-18 at halftime. They grabbed a 31-29 lead after three quarters.
Mountain Brook scored the first six points of the quarter to take a 35-31 lead. After a Hartselle bucket cut the lead to 35-33, the Lady Spartans extended their lead to 38-33. The Lady Tigers took control of the game and outscored Mountain Brook 8-1 in the closing minutes to pick up their second come-from-behind win of the week.
Burks led the Lady Tigers with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. She scored all of Hartselle’s 13 points in the second quarter. Itsede added six points and 11 rebounds, while Elsie Boyd had six points and two blocks.
