BIRMINGHAM – Elba junior guard Kendra Juarez delivered a positive message after a gut-wrenching 68-61 loss to defending Class 1A champion Marion County in the semifinals of the state tournament
“We came up short, but we’ll be back,” Juarez said.
“I didn’t say a whole lot to them other than just to believe, you know … you’ve just got to keep playing,” Elba coach Shaun Hammonds said of his team roaring back. “When adversity comes, you can’t give up. Obviously it showed today.” “We just couldn’t finish there at the end, but hat’s off to Marion County for finishing the deal,” Hammonds said.
Marion County started the second half on 13-0 run to lead 42-24. Down 48-28 in the third, Elba fought back and pulled within 53-43 at the end of the third quarter. “What a game,” Marion County coach Scott Veal said. “I knew they were very, very athletic. I knew it was going to come down to free throws and rebounds.
The Red Raiders got 24 points off fastbreaks, while Elba scored 11 in that fashion. The battle of the backboards was close, with Marion County holding a 45-41 edge.“I just told them, ‘We’re warriors … you can’t quit. We’re tied; it’s not the end of the game. It’s not like we’re down 10. It’s a tie ballgame. We’ve got to keep fighting and you’ve got to overcome adversity.’ And that’s what we did,” Veal said.
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