Fairview’s varsity girls are a win away from Birmingham.

The Lady Aggies rallied for a 51-45 victory over eighth-ranked Cherokee County in the Class 4A Northeast Regional Tournament at Jacksonville State on Tuesday, using a 22-10 surge in the fourth quarter to prevail.

Fairview (19-10) trailed 35-29 after three quarters but buckled down in the final frame, limiting Cherokee County to only 10 points and registering 18 points from the charity stripe over the last eight minutes. 

“The first half didn’t go like we wanted it to. We were in foul trouble and basically beat ourselves in every category we could. I told the girls we couldn’t have played much worse in the first half, but if we stayed patient and positive, we could win,” said first-year Fairview coach Justin Billings. “We were more aggressive in the second half and kept attacking the rim. That ultimately led to a lot of free throws and us pulling it out.”

Fairview finished the game 25 of 39 from the free-throw line, including hitting 18-of-29 shots from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. The Lady Aggies also forced 23 Cherokee County turnovers. 

Meanwhile, Cherokee County went just 13 of 31 from the free-throw line throughout. 

Cherokee County led 12-7 after the first quarter and 21-17 at the half. 

Fairview seized its first lead of the game, 39-38, on a Molly McKelvy layup with 4:14 remaining. Maddie Yeager hit a free throw for Fairview nearly a minute later, and Katie Ball drained a pair with 3:13 remaining for a 42-38 advantage.

With 1:39 left, Cherokee County’s Aubrie Williams cut Fairview’s lead to 44-43 with a layup. The Lady Aggies, though, countered with seven free throws over the final 1:12, sending them to Thursday’s regional championship against seventh-ranked Anniston at 12:30 p.m.

Daisy Manasco notched a double-double for the Lady Aggies on Tuesday, finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

“We just had to remember who we were. We came out too nervous at the beginning of the game. I knew once we settled down, we would be fine,” Manasco said.

Payton Golden scored 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, including nailing nine free throws in the frame. Jacy Gorham had seven points and six rebounds, McKelvy finished with seven points, and Ball contributed six points.

Jordan Starr led Cherokee County with 14 points.

Billings has confidence his team can do enough on Thursday to become the second team from Cullman County to advance to Birmingham this season.

“Our girls have stayed patient and positive all season. With all the circumstances they’ve had to overcome, I think it’s a huge accomplishment to be in this situation. That’s actually an understatement. I didn’t start with them until August, and we scrapped the entire old system and learned something entirely new. These girls responded to me, and we’ve began to roll at the right time. I’m proud of them,” Billings said.

Manasco agrees.

“We’ve surprised a lot of people and believe in each other. We’ve made sure this isn’t a rebuilding year,” Manasco said. “We’ve shocked a lot of people and worked hard. We’re excited to still be playing.”