On this past Saturday night, the Robert F. Munroe Lady Bobcats won the 2A District-1 championship, for the third time in a row. They hosted LEAD Academy who traveled from Pace, as the number one seed in the district.
Munroe had lost to LEAD Academy during the regular season and was seeking revenge in this district tournament matchup. The first quarter was pretty one-sided, with Munroe jumping out to a 15-6 lead over LEAD Academy to end the quarter.
The second quarter was a pretty low scoring quarter by both teams, as they combined for only ten points the entire quarter. Munroe went into halftime with a 21-10 lead over LEAD Academy.
Just when Munroe figured they had the game in hand by the halfway mark, LEAD Academy stepped their game up and started making some crucial baskets. With 2:40 left in the third quarter, LEAD Academy had gone on a run and forced Munroe to call a timeout to slow them down. By the time the quarter ended, Munroe’s lead was only 35-28.
LEAD Academy came out hot in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to just two points after making a much needed 3-pointer and making the score 35-33 within one minute of the quarter starting. An offensive foul by Munroe and another basket by LEAD Academy tied the game 35-35 with 6:39 left in the game.
With one minute left on the clock, Munroe regained a 46-39 lead and never lost that lead. Even with a late 3-pointer and steal by LEAD Academy, it just wasn’t enough to overcome the Lady Bobcats. They went on to win the game 48-42.
LEAD Academy was led by Sophia Harold’s 16 points.
Munroe was led by AJ Johnson, who led all scorers with 22 points. Traniha Jackson added an additional 15 points to help seal the victory.
“It feels real good,” says Head Coach Rod Mack after winning the district championship. “To be able to do it three years in a row, in the first three years with the program, is real big. We’re definitely going to enjoy this one but we gotta get back to work and get ready for the regional tournament,” he adds. Coach Mack is in his third year as the Head Coach of the Lady Bobcats.
Chris Daniels – Gadsden County News Service