The Madison County High School girls’ basketball team got past the first-game jitters at the region tournament, beating Heritage 49-28 Wednesday at Monroe Area High School to clinch a spot at state.
The Lady Raiders (20-6) now face Salem Friday in the region semifinals at 7 p.m. at Monroe Area High School.
“We’ve got to play a better second game than we did the first,” coach Dan Lampe said. “Hopefully, we knocked some of the rust off.”
Lampe said the first game at region is usually tough, with the team battling both rust and nerves going in.
The coach said even he had the pre-game jitters.
“I couldn’t eat all day,” Lampe said.
But senior guard Lauren Smith was up to the challenge, scoring 17 points as Madison County clinched its fifth-straight trip to the state tournament.
“She’s just so strong with the ball and hard with her finishes (to the basket),” Lampe said.
Defensively, Madison County held Heritage to just two first quarter points and nine at the half.
While the Lady Raider defense forced some turnovers and had some highlights, it wasn’t the complete effort Lampe wasn’t looking for.
“I wasn’t pleased with the consistency of it,” he said.
Still, Madison County — which beat Heritage 60-41 during the regular season — was dominant, building a 20-point lead during the fourth quarter.
Shantydra Arnold threw in 11 points as Madison County notched its 20th victory of the season. The program has won 20 games each of the last four seasons.
The Lady Raiders are one victory away from playing for the region title for the fourth straight year.
MCHS 49, Heritage 28
HHS 2 7 10 9 — 28
MCHS 10 10 15 14 — 49
Scorers: Smith 17, Arnold 11, Freeman 6, Glaze 6, LaZear 4, Whieldon 4, Fleming 1
