Auburn upsets BRHS in area tourney final

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009

In the fourth meeting of the year between the two schools, the Auburn Lady Tigers finally got the better of Benjamin Russell in Tuesday’s Class 6A, Area 8 championship final in Alexander City.

The first three matches went the distance, and this one was no different, as Auburn prevailed in five sets, 25-22, 18-25, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-10. Both teams will advance to the regional tournament on Saturday.

In the fifth and deciding game, Auburn jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but BRHS rallied to tie things up at 8-8 on a Jazmin Lopez block. However, Auburn rattled off six straight points to go up 14-8, and following two BRHS points, the Lady Cats served the ball into the net, giving the visitors the win.

“We knew from day one that Benjamin Russell was going to be our toughest competition,” said Auburn coach Nikki Dellinger. “When you lose a few times to a team like we did, you pick up on what they’re capable of doing and make adjustments. We knew their strengths and weaknesses and were able to come out with a win.”

BRHS, which is now 26-8, did not play up to its potential, according to its coach Pam Robinson.

“The frustrating thing is that’s twice in a row we didn’t come out and play our best match,” Robinson said. “In the fourth game, we got down several points, but with Tori Lashley serving, we cut it to one and got right back in it. Then, we mess up a serve and make a few bad hits. And the hits weren’t close, they were way out. If we play like we can, those are points we get and that’s the match. There were way too many unforced errors.

“But, the same thing happened last year, and I told the girls that if we’re going to lose a match, I would rather it be this one, not the next one,” she said. “The seeding isn’t that important; we’ll play a good team either way on Saturday. But, we have to come out with more intensity from here on out to have a chance.”

Last season, Auburn beat BRHS in the area finals, but the Lady Cats responded with a win in regionals.

Tuesday’s match was close throughout. The first game had seven ties before Auburn scored three points in a row to win. BRHS scored the final four points to win in game two, and in game three, Auburn made a late rally to cut it 24-23, but a bad serve ended the game. The fourth set saw Auburn jump out to a 14-8 lead, but the Lady Cats scored five in a row to make it interesting. That’s when things fell apart, as the Lady Tigers stretched their advantage to force the fifth game.

In the first match of the day, BRHS beat Wetumpka 25-6, 25-11 and 25-21. The Lady Cats used 28 aces to secure the win. Sharlia Marbury led the way with 12. Lauren Griffin added 8 and freshman Tatum Gandy chipped in with 4. Auburn knocked off Stanhope Elmore to advance.

Griffin, Lashley and Torlandria Jones were named to the all-tournament team. In a losing effort, Jones was still voted tournament MVP by the coaches.

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