The Hartselle Lady Tigers used a dominating defensive performance to race past Lee 52-30 in a 6A sub-regional matchup this past Saturday.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of how out defense played and how well we rebounded,” said Hartselle head coach Amber Deline. “We handled their pressure really well which led to open looks on the offensive end.”

The 6A No. 8 Lady Tigers trailed 3-2 inside the first minute, but would never trail again in the win. They lead 14-7 after the first quarter and 22-10 at the half. They extended their lead to 37-14 after the third quarter.

Hartselle’s defense had a six-quarter streak over two games in which it allowed only single digits to the opposing offenses. After allowing five, four, and five in the final three quarters to Cullman, it allowed only seven, three, and four in the first three quarters of the sub-regional win over Lee.

The Lady Tigers forced 23 Lee turnovers and outrebounded them 42-31, while holding them to a 20.4 shooting percentage.

Hanna Burks led Hartselle (19-6) with 17 points and nine rebounds. Mary Frances Itsede finished with a double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Gracie Hill had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight steals.

“I am glad that Hannah and Gracie are on our team and that we do not have to defend them,” Deline said. “They struggled in the first half but came out in the third quarter and started making shots as we pulled away.”

Hartselle 59, Cullman 29
Hartselle won their third straight 6A Area 14 Championship with a 59-29 win over Cullman. The Lady Tigers trailed 15-12 after the first quarter, but dominated the Lady Bearcats the rest of the way as they outscored Cullman 47-14 over the final three quarters.

The Hartselle defense came alive after allowing 15 first-quarter points. They held Cullman to five points in the second quarter, four in the third, and five in the fourth. They also held the Lady Bearcats’ leading scorer, Ally Sharpe, to 11 total points, including just two in the second half.

“The defense played extremely well after the first quarter,” Deline said. “Anna Hampton Burroughs was able to shine as she picked up the scoring as Cullman defensively took Gracie out of the game.”

Anna Hampton Burroughs led Hartselle with a career-high 25 points. Hannah Burks finished with 14 points, while Mary Frances Itsede added a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds.