MONTGOMERY — The Selma Lady Saints season ended abruptly Wednesday in a 67-46 loss to Homewood in the 6A girls’ central regional championship game at Alabama State University’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

“I hate that the bus stopped right here,” Selma head coach Anthony Harris said. “We wanted to get to Birmingham too.”

Selma couldn’t slow down Homewood’s Hannah Barber, who scored 19 points and was named the tournament MVP.

“We were trying to contain [Barber], and we didn’t get there,” Harris said. “She knocked down a couple of threes, and that started the fire.”

When the Saints did force the Patriots to miss, Homewood won the battle on the boards. and it wasn’t close. Homewood came down with 59 rebounds compared to Selma’s 30.

“We didn’t get any rebounds from our guards,” Harris said. “It was just Williams and J’Tia down there fighting and the other subs that got in there. Blocking out is the key, and we talked about it — we didn’t keep them off of [the boards].

Selma had won three consecutive close games to make it to the regional final, but couldn’t keep pace with the Patriots Wednesday. After the Saints took the lead in the game’s opening minute, Homewood led the rest of the way.

Selma was also in foul trouble seemingly from the opening tip. Jamya Smith and J’Tia White both fouled out while being limited to under 21 minutes each.

Smith, the Saints’ sharpshooter, had trouble getting loose against a Patriots’ defense that forced 19 turnovers. She made only 2-of-8 three-point attempts and the second came in the third quarter with the game already well out of hand.

Areyana Williams was the only Saints’ player in double figures. Williams was named to the all-tournament team after her second consecutive double-double. She had 13 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday to go along with a similar performance last week against Valley.

Homewood took advantage of the Saints’ foul situation, making 35-of-53 free throws. Selma actually made more field goals in the game, but only shot 21 times from the charity stripe, which ended up playing a big role in the game’s outcome.

Barber knocked in three three-pointers to lead the way for a balanced Patriots’ attack. She also made 8-of-10 free throws.

Ajah Wayne with 12 points and Tori Webb with 14 were also in double figures for Homewood.