Briarwood outduels Sylacauga on road to claim area title

Published 2:46 pm Wednesday, October 16, 2024

By Andrew Simonson

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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

SYLACAUGA – After dispatching the Shelby County Wildcats to advance to super regionals, the Briarwood Christian Lions found themselves face-to-face with the one team that had defeated them in area play: the Sylacauga Aggies.

With Sylacauga’s 3-0 win in their last meeting on Oct. 1, that forced the Lions to make the road trip down U.S. 280 to Nichols-Lawson Middle School for the area tournament and left them seeking revenge.

In the end, that’s exactly what they got as Briarwood defeated the Aggies in a tight 3-1 battle on Tuesday, Oct. 15 to claim the Class 5A, Area 8 championship and a top seed in the south super regionals.

Before then, the Lions booked their spot in super regionals with a commanding win over the Shelby County Wildcats.

Briarwood used a 25-16 win in the first set to set the table for a dominant showing in the second set.

The Lions cruised to a 25-7 second-set victory, and that allowed them to cruise to the sweep from there.

Briarwood also took a double-digit win in the third set by a score of 25-15, sealing a super regionals berth and ending Shelby County’s season.

That then put the Lions in the championship match against host Sylacauga, which dispatched Central-Clay County in their semifinal meeting.

Briarwood took the early lead in the first set, but a 5-0 Sylacauga run flipped the set and helped the Aggies take the lead.

The Lions briefly tied the set at 8-8 before claiming an 11-9 lead, and they held it for the rest of the way.

Briarwood later went on a 4-0 run with #9 on the serve to go up 22-15, putting it within position of sealing the set win.

Sylacauga won three straight points to make one final stand, but the Lions saw out the 25-21 win to go up 1-0 in the match.

Just like the first set, the teams were deadlocked in the opening points of the second set before Briarwood took a 7-4 lead.

The momentum then swung back in the Aggies’ favor and the hosts took an 8-7 lead. That then led to a back-and-forth stretch where Sylacauga held a slim lead but the Lions responded to keep it close.

Briarwood then won three straight points to take a 19-18 lead. The Aggies briefly retook a 20-19 lead and tied the set up at 21-21.

However, the Lions used a 4-2 run to close the set and take a 25-23 lead, completing the comeback win to put themselves within a set of the area title.

In the third set, Briarwood went up 6-4 off a 3-0 run early in the frame. The Lions extended that lead over the next stretch and eventually led 16-11.

However, Sylacauga responded in an emphatic way with a 6-0 run to tie the set at 17-17, putting the pressure on Briarwood.

The Aggies then took a 20-19 lead for its lead since the 2-1 mark, and after the Lions tied it up on the next point, Sylacauga won four straight points to get on set point.

Briarwood’s ensuing 3-0 would not be enough to close the gap as the Aggies took the 25-23 win to keep their title hopes alive.

The teams then once again traded the lead in the fourth set in another close affair with the top seed on the line.

The Lions took advantage of a Sylacauga error on the opening point to go up 2-0, and they remained in control of the lead during the early stretch.

However, the Aggies went on a 5-0 run to take a 10-9 lead, and while Briarwood tied up the set multiple times during the next stretch, the Lions could not take the lead.

That changed after Sylacauga retook a 17-15 lead as Briarwood won three straight points to go up 18-17. It kicked off another back-and-forth stretch, this time with the Lions in control.

Briarwood responded first to the Aggies tying up the set at 18-18 and then taking a 21-20 lead, and the Lions overcame the latter deficit with a 4-0 run.

That put Briarwood one point away from an area title up 24-21, but Sylacauga made one last stand.

The Aggies won four straight points to first send the set to extra points and then get to set point with a 25-24 lead.

The teams traded the next two points to keep the match going. Then, the Lions rose to the challenge and won three straight points to win the fourth set 28-26 and claim the area title.

Senior setter Mia Wilson was named the tournament MVP after earning 71 assists, 15 digs and two aces in the matches against Shelby County and Sylacauga.

Sophomore outside hitter Julie Roberts joined her on the All-Tournament Team behind her performance of 27 kills, five aces, 18 digs and three blocks in the tournament.

Freshman Leighton Hendley secured 17 kills, six aces, four assists, 17 digs and two blocks. Junior Clara Crawford earned 14 kills, an ace, 18 digs and seven blocks.

Briarwood will now advance to the south super regionals at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery on Thursday, Oct 24.

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