MONTGOMERY — The two teams who played in last year’s regional final may have been wearing the same jerseys, but they weren’t the same teams.

This time a young, tall Lanett was able to take down R.C. Hatch 52-47 in the Class 2A central regional tournament in Montgomery.

“From last year it is a whole different team,” R.C. Hatch head coach John Abraham said. ”Last year we were able to count on our taller girls to block shots and really get us out on the break. This year we were just really guard focused. That was really the difference.”

The Lanett Lady Panthers took the lead in the first quarter, but got into foul trouble in the second.

R.C. Hatch scored 11 of 19 points from the free throw line in the second quarter to pull even at 25 going into halftime.

“Because I have so many tall players, everybody is a shot blocker,” Lanett head coach Zack Lancaster said. “So we really had to convince our girls after that first half to settle down and they did that.”

The third quarter was a battle, but the young Lady Panthers pushed up the tempo behind point guard Jabrea Stiggers.

“When we played R.C. Hatch last year I came away knowing this was the team we had to condition for,” Lancaster said. “Last year in the fourth quarter I though we were the better team, but they just had the legs. My girls may have hated me this year with all the running we did, but this was why we did it, for R.C. Hatch.”

Abraham said he was proud of the way his girls fought through the game.

“We had a good season,” Abraham said. “It was up and down a bit, but other than that it was alright.”