Lady Indians knock off Perry Central in south state 3A action

The Hazlehurst High Lady Indians advanced from Region 7-3A tournament last week to South State 3A with a win against Wilkinson County  to capture third place.
On Monday night, the Lady Indians traveled to Perry Central to face the Lady Bulldogs in a South State 3A play-in game, hoping to win and reach the South State tournament in Crystal Springs this Thursday.  Hazlehurst won in come-back fashion, 69-58 after trailing 44-41 at the end of the third period.
The Lady Indians got off to a rough start, getting down by 10 at the end of the opening period. Foul trouble forced head coach Chastity Sandifer to go to the bench. Latasha Arnold led the Indians with 5 of her team’s 12 points, as Hazlehurst trailed 22-12 at the end of one.
In the second, the two teams traded buckets most of the way, and Perry Central outscored the Lady Indians by 1 to lead 35-24 at the half.  Roddreka Adams scored six of the Lady Indians’ 12 points in the quarter.
Coach Sandifer’s adjustments at the half paid off in the third quarter, especially on defense.  The Lady Indians held the Lady Bulldogs to just 9 points in the quarter, while narrowing the gap to three at 44-41.  Arnold sparked Hazlehurst with six points in the quarter.
The Lady Indians started the final period on fire with A. Fuller hitting back to back 3 pointers to put her team ahead for good at 47-44.
 The Lady Indians outscored  the Lady Bulldogs by 14 points the rest of the way, with the key being made free throws.   The Lady Indians made 9-of-12 foul shouts over the last few minutes of the game, sealing the win and sending Perry Central into the off-season, 69-58.
Fuller’s 10 points in the final quarter boosted the Lady Indians to the lead and the win.
Scorers for the Lady Indians included: R. Adams, 20 points; L. Arnold, 18; A. Fuller, 13; D.Davis, 10; A.Banks, 4; D. Thigpen and N. Smith, both with 2 each.
The Lady Indians will travel to Crystal Springs on Thursday to play Velma Jackson at 5:30 in the ladies South State 3A Tournament