Selma started Tuesday’s game against Hillcrest with one goal in mind: Win the class 6A, area 6 regular season championship.

By the time the second half was underway, it felt more like a coronation.

The Lady Saints left little doubt about who the best team in the area was this season as they blew out Hillcrest 50-22 to ensure that the area 6 tournament, which starts Feb. 5., will be played at Selma High School. The Saints will have to prove it again then, when the postseason gets underway, but for now there’s plenty to celebrate.

“That was probably one of our best overall ballgames,” Selma head coach Anthony Harris said. “I told them they knew what they had to do and I wasn’t going to put any pressure on them.”

Behind superb first half’s from Jacquetta Dailey and Areyana Williams, Selma jumped out to a 31-14 lead at halftime. Williams scored 10 first half points, with six of them coming from the free throw line and Dailey added another seven.

Meanwhile, Hillcrest struggled to find any consistency on offense. The Patriots scored just two points in the third quarter and made only three baskets in the second half.

“We played some strong defense and we rotated good,” Harris said. “We found out they wouldn’t shoot from outside. I threw a couple of defenses at them to see what would work.”

Harris also pointed out transition baskets, which helped the Lady Saints put it away.

 

Selma 53, Hillcrest 43 (boys)

For the first time in weeks, the Selma boys looked Friday like the team that had rode toughness and a blue-collar work ethic to a great start to the season.

The Saints knocked off No. 6 Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 53-43 in a game that Selma led by double digits nearly the entire second half.

“We came together more tonight. We got back to that blue collar workmanship and played real hard on defense,” Selma head coach Woodie Jackson said. “We played a little more in control. Our theory is that we want to play fast, play quick, but never get in a hurry.”

Quentavious Davis nailed a three-pointer from half court at the end of the first half to pull Selma within one and that momentum carried over into the second quarter. Behind a dominant stretch by Dexter Hatcher, the Saints outscored the Patriots 13-6 in the second quarter and took a 27-19 lead into the locker room. The final points came on a Hatcher layup, which like Davis’ shot in the first quarter, beat the buzzer.

The Saints took a double-digit lead on their first possession of the second half and led by 10 or more until less than a minute left to play.

Hatcher led the Saints with 11 points, while Michael Griffin and Davis each added 10 of their own.

Selma will play at rival Southside Friday.