Fultondale center Briana Griffin (23) duels for position with Angel McCaig of Victory Christian in Monday night’s Class 2A Area 10 play-in game, won easily by the Wildcats.

In high school girls’ basketball, controlling the offensive glass is crucial.

For proof, see Fultondale’s Briana Griffin.

The Wildcat center had 21 rebounds — all but five of them on the offensive side — and scored 20 points as her team rolled to a 62-23 win Monday over Victory Christian of Pell City in the play-in round of the AHSAA Class 2A Area 10 Tournament at Altamont School.

Griffin scored all but one of her field goals on put-backs, with the lone exception on an outlet pass for the last bucket of the game.

Things began slowly for Fultondale, as the Lions kept pace with them throughout a sluggish first quarter.

But when the second period got underway, the Cats turned up the pressure, which resulted in a 16-2 run over a five-minute span.

From that point on, Fultondale was in complete control, with Griffin nearly getting a double-double in the fourth quarter alone.

Karleena Unlap scored 11 points, and Janacia Jackson pulled down 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.

The Lions were paced by Linley Stinson’s 13 points. Four of Victory’s seven field goals were from outside the 3-point arc.

Fultondale now moves on to play top-seeded Altamont a semifinal game on Thursday, in a game in which coach Melanie Gearhart needs Griffin to repeat Monday’s performance.

“Briana and Jay and Karleena down low are going to have to box out their big girl,” Gearhart said of Knights junior center Yorisha Bryant. “She gets down there for the rebound and pops it out to their outside shooters. We’ve just got to keep the rebounds in our hands. She [Bryant] can shoot, but her first instinct is to pop it outside.”

BOYS

Fultondale 79, Victory Christian-Pell City 67: In the Area 10 play-in game at Vincent, Alaontae Johnson led five Wildcats in double figures.

Deundrea Marshall had 16 points, Ardarius Stewart scored 14, and Travez Hicks and Quantez McGary added 11 each, as Fultondale scored 31 points in the fourth quarter. They face No. 1 Vincent on Friday at 6 p.m.

[This story corrects an editing error in our print edition, in which Johnson’s point total was omited –Ed.]