Marion County knocks off Keith in semifinals
Published 10:31 am Wednesday, February 28, 2024
- Keith’s Ja'kayla Moore works against Marion County's Lily Robinson during the AHSAA Class 1A girls state semifinals at BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Will McLelland, Alabama Media Group
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Keith High School could not overcome an eight-point third quarter in its Class 1A girls semifinal contest against Marion County on Monday morning at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Legacy Arena.
The Lady Red Raiders turned a 24-20 halftime lead, scoring 23 third-quarter points en-route to a 65-37 victory.
Keith finished the season at 19-10. Adasia Atkins and Shania Moore each finished with eight points. Central Region MVP Ja’Kayla Moore, who averaged 16 points, a game, was held to seven points.
“Honestly, we were thankful for the opportunity to be here,” Keith coach Cecil Williams said. “I know you see a lot of tears from our girls right now, but with me it’s more [feelings] of excitement. I’m coaching girls that had never won a playoff game so for them to make it to the state semifinals … I’m so proud.”
Marion County held Keith to 12-of-38 shooting from the field and forced 21 turnovers. The Lady Bears made just 2-of-13 free throws.
At the press conference, Williams said the Final Four trip was a learning experience for the Lady Bears. They return four starters next year: Ja’Kayla Moore, Janiyah King, Adasia Atkins and Shania Moore .
“The majority of our players are in 9-11 grade,” Williams said. “The foundation is pretty solid. We have a good middle school group coming up and the majority of the teams we played to get here had a lot of seniors, so I have no doubt we’ll be back. The girls are motivated already.”