Loachapoka runs past Beulah; Smiths Station wins in Lee County Tournament

BEULAH — Loachapoka girls head coach Anthony Edwards kept reminding his team about a game earlier this season.

It was a game where the Indians jumped out to a big lead, only to watch Beulah rally for an overtime win.

Edwards’ girl apparently got the message.

Loachapoka raced out to a 9-0 lead to start the game and used a 15-2 run in the third to blow past Beulah, 53-24, in the opening round of the Lee County Basketball Tournament at Beulah High School.

In the day’s first game, Smiths Station pounded Beauregard, 59-38.

For Loachapoka, the lopsided win was a welcome sight for an injury-riddled squad that has suffered some early-season struggles.

“I kept reminding them about that earlier game with Beulah,” Edwards said. “We wanted to come up here, work hard and play smart — and that’s exactly what they did tonight.”

The Indians were able to start quickly, building a 3-0 lead on free throws before Alysia Frazier, Breion Palmer and Chantal Hall hit consecutive buckets to put Loachapoka up 9-0.

The Indians were able to increase the lead to 13 points by halftime, then blew things open with a 15-2 burst that started two minutes into the third quarter.

Loachapoka’s defense proved to be a big factor in the game as the Indians allowed Beulah just five field goals in the game’s first three periods.

Hall led all scorers with 18 points while Shanequa Dowdell added 11.

Beulah got 8 points each from Iesha Crutchfield and Ariel Underwood.

Amazingly, it wasn’t until the end of the game it was realized the entire contest had been played with a boys-regulation ball instead of the smaller girls ball.

Edwards jokingly said it might start a trend with his Indians (7-6).

“One of the girls said she knew it all along,” Edwards said. “Maybe we need to play with one again Friday.”

Friday will be the championship game of the Lee County Tournament where Class 1A Loachapoka will take on Class 6A Smiths Station at 5 p.m.

The Panthers reached the title game by dismantling Beauregard.

Smiths Station led just 15-7 at the end of the first quarter, but exploded in the second by outscoring the Hornets 29-9 in the period’s first seven minutes.

Paris Oglesby broke Beauregard’s drought with 57 seconds to play in the half and Laveeta Bellamy added another quick basket, but the damage was already done.

The big second quarter for Smiths Station came thanks to a suffocating 1-3-1 zone defense — a different style most have come to know from Panthers’ head coach Shana Johnson who typically utilizes an in-our-face press.

“I like to press, but this year we haven’t had the personnel to do that,” Johnson said. “We did a good job of putting pressure on the ball and rotating inside to force a lot of turnovers.”

Three player scored in double figures for the Panthers (16-3), led by Erika Jones’ 20 points from her post position.

Dejah Heard chipped in 14 points and Breana Shephard finished with 10.

Beauregard was led by Ariel Mitchell’s 9 points, while Oglesby added 8.

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