Madison Co. girls clinch top seed heading into region tourney

Kelly Lambert

Madison County’s Kayla Freeman goes up for a shot surrounded by Clarke Central defenders (from left) Diamond Howell, Dayna Edwards and Cierra Jackson in the second quarter Friday.

Kelly Lambert

Madison County’s Kayla Freeman battles for a rebound with Clarke Central’s Cierra Jackson in the second quarter Friday.

Click Thumbnails to View

MULTIMEDIA ► PHOTOS: Check out a gallery from the Madison County - Clarke Central girl's basketball game: View gallery

If Madison County was looking for a gut-check game to end its regular season, the Lady Gladiators gave it to them on Friday at Clarke Central.

It appears the Lady Raiders' guts are securely in place and ready for the postseason.

Junior Lauren Smith hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to put Clarke Central away, giving Madison County a 55-51 victory. With the win, the Lady Raiders claimed first in Region 8-AAAA North and the top seed heading into Tuesday's Region 8-AAAA tournament.

Madison County's Kayla Freeman led the team with 18 points and seven rebounds and Smith added 17 points. Courtney Freeman scored 10 points despite sitting out most of the third quarter.

The Lady Raiders won't open the region tournament until next Friday.

"That's huge," Madison County coach Dan Lampe said of the top seed. "That is why you play the entire season."

"That is the first thing you want to get done. That is the first milestone."

Another milestone Madison County (20-4, 9-1 Region 8-AAAA North) can claim is a regular-season sweep of Clarke Central. The Lady Raiders beat Clarke Central 59-48 on Jan. 20 in Danielsville.

Unlike the last meeting between these two teams, Clarke Central (16-9, 8-2) had plenty of late opportunities to take both the win and the top seed from the Lady Raiders.

With 14.4 seconds left in the game, Clarke Central had an inbounds opportunity on Madison County's side of the court, down 53-51. The Gladiators received a 5-second violation to turn the ball over.

"We just had to keep a level head," Smith said. "We weren't going to let this one get away."

The Lady Gladiators led by as many as six in the fourth quarter, but Madison County went on an 11-1 run to end the game.

Clarke Central's Aja Sorrells scored a game-high 21 points and Cierra Jackson added 11 points and six rebounds.

"I think we really settled down and played strong man-to-man defense (in the fourth quarter)," Lampe said. "You have to give credit to Clarke Central. You know they are going to play hard in their gym."

With a dismal third quarter, it looked like Madison County was going to succumb to the Lady Gladiators' home-court advantage.

The Lady Raiders were held to just four Shantydra Arnold free throws on offense while Clarke Central pulled away, taking a 40-36 lead into the final quarter.

A big reason for Madison County's third-quarter difficulties was foul trouble. With Courtney Freeman, the team's leading scorer, on the bench, the Lady Raiders appeared disconnected.

"That was so tough. I pretty much prayed that whole quarter," senior Courtney Freeman said. "This is my last regular-season game and I didn't get to produce like I wanted to."

The Lady Raiders appeared sloppy and ill-prepared for the full-court press of Clarke Central. After taking an early 8-4 lead, Madison County turned the ball over on three straight possessions, allowing the Lady Gladiators to go on a 7-0 run.

Clarke Central's strong shooting wouldn't last, however. The Lady Gladiators went most of the second quarter without a field goal, shooting just 2 of 8 from the field.

Sorrells hit Clarke Central's only two field goals of the quarter - a pair of 3-pointers, one at the start of the quarter and one at the end.

The Freeman sisters dominated under the boards, rarely allowing Clarke Central any second-shot opportunities. The duo combined for 12 rebounds in the first half.

"They just couldn't match up with us in the post," Lampe said.

Madison County has won nine straight but has a week until its next game. None of the Lady Raiders seemed concerned that they would grow rusty.

"We have a practice team and we will probably play a couple of games between now and then," Courtney Freeman said. "I'm not worried about us getting cold."

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, February 07, 2009