HAYDEN – Krista Stricklin has been the catalyst to the Hayden Lady Wildcats for some time now. The senior solidified herself in history, as she took the ninth over-all spot in points recorded with a 28-point performance in her team’s Class 5A, Area 11 championship game against the Mortimer Jordan Lady Blue Devils. Stricklin has amassed to date 3,124 points for her illustrious, high school career.
Hayden held the Lady Blue Devils – led by senior Haylie McCleney – to a mere 34 points of total offensive production, while posting 45 points themselves. Stricklin got things off to a stellar start knocking down a 3-pointer for a lead her team would never relinquish, as they would lead throughout the entire contest.
Amanda Dean dropped in a shot for Mortimer Jordan, which in turn was answered with a subsequent trey from Stricklin for an early, 6-2 lead. The Lady Blue Devils made a run of things to tie the contest at seven apiece with a 5-1 run capped off by a McLeney shot/plus free-throw with 4:19 left in the first quarter.
Stricklin got her third trey on the night that pushed the Lady Wildcats out to a 10-7 advantage and Hayden would close out the quarter by the slimmest of margins at 14-12, as McLeney nailed a trey just before the quarter was to end. Hayden scored the first six points of the second frame with shots from Hannah Padgett and Katie Parr, plus to free-throws from Lori Swann.
McLeney got the only two points scored by Mortimer Jordan to end their drought in the second stanza, but Stricklin closed out the half with six points and outscored the Lady Blue Devils almost single-handedly. The Lady Wildcats would carry a huge 12-point lead in at the half.
Mortimer Jordan was the first to strike in the second half with a long-range shot by Alysa Amberson to bring the score to 26-17. Swann answered with a shot for Hayden, but McLeney notched another trey for the Lady Blue Devils which was followed by an Amberson shot to close to within six points. That would be as close as the Lady Wildcats would let Mortimer Jordan to get, as they pushed out to a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter and held on for the victory.
Hayden will host the Cullman Lady Bearcats Thursday, February 16, 2012 for a sub-regional match to determine who will advance to the Northwest Regional held on the campus of Wallace State College the following week. The Lady Wildcats have beaten their next opponent earlier in the season 54-42 when they played them in the Homewood Veteran’s Day Tournament at the beginning of the season.
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