PREP BASKETBALL: Rattlers snap Cold Springs’ streak, down Lady Eagles 57-49 for area tourney title

Published 10:35 pm Friday, February 12, 2016

ATHENS — All good things must eventually come to an end.

Unfortunately for coach Tammy West and Cold Springs, their decade-long accomplishment finally met its maker on Friday night.

The Class 2A No. 6 Lady Eagles (19-12) trailed from start to finish during the Class 2A, Area 14 Tournament championship versus No. 4 Tanner (20-7), dropping their third game to the Rattlers this season in a 57-49 affair.

The road loss marked the first time since 2005 the Blue and Gold have failed to win their area tourney crown.

For West, Friday’s outcome could be summed up in one word.

Rebounding.

Tanner’s Kirstin Brown (25 points) and Jazmine Peoples (12) racked up point after point by turning offensive boards into second-chance baskets for the home team. Throw in the Rattlers’ considerable size advantage and … well … the Eagles’ chances of winning became increasingly more difficult.

“They were going to outrebound us,” West said. “We get outrebounded every single day. It’s just something that you want to do and you’ve got to make yourself do. I guess we don’t do a good enough job in practice. Tanner has killed us with that in all three games.”

The Green and White opened up an 18-10 lead after the first quarter thanks to nine points from Brown. They stretched the cushion out to 12 at halftime, despite some timely baskets by Emme Willoughby and Neely Ellison.

Cold Springs didn’t threaten again until late in the fourth quarter, when it cut its deficit to seven points on a Bailey West 3-pointer.

In the end, though, too many miscues and not enough stops by the Blue and Gold allowed Tanner to comfortably put the game out of reach.

“My girls didn’t quit,” West said. “I’m proud of them for that. We just missed a bunch of layups late and a bunch of free throws early.”

Willoughby finished with a team-high 19 points, while West and Camryn Crider added 13 and 10, respectively. Ellison and White rounded out the scoring with five and two points apiece.

The Rattlers received a third double-digit contribution from Jessika Milton-Brown, who secured 14 points in the win.

West and Co. will look to put the streak-snapping loss behind them when they travel to No. 10 Mars Hill Bible on Monday for a sub-regional showdown.

A win would send the Eagles to the Northwest Regional Tournament at Wallace State. A loss, meanwhile, would send them home until next November. Tanner will host Hatton.

“We’ve had a lot of girls be a part of what we’ve done the last 10 years,” West said. “Including the ones tonight. We’ll go to Mars Hill and try to get back where we want to be … at Wallace. We’ll have to go over there and play well. That’s the way it is.”