Kyle Parmley
Central Regional
Briarwood's Sasha Munikar (13) shoots a 3-pointer during the Class 5A Central Regional game between Briarwood and Selma on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome in Montgomery. Photo by Kyle Parmley.
A terrific season for the Briarwood Christian School girls basketball team ended in disappointing fashion Tuesday afternoon.
The Lady Lions were in the ball game, but some tough circumstances led to a 49-42 loss to Marbury in the Class 5A Central Regional final at Alabama State University.
Briarwood overcame a slow start, not connecting on its first field goal until almost seven minutes into the contest. Marbury held an 11-6 lead after a quarter of play, but the Lady Lions settled in and dominated the second quarter. Briarwood outscored Marbury 17-7 and took a 23-18 lead into the halftime break.
The third quarter went the opposite direction, as Marbury outscored Briarwood 14-3 to reclaim the lead. To make matters worse, Emma Kerley was administered her second technical foul of the game a couple minutes into the fourth quarter, leaving the Lady Lions without their leading scorer down the stretch.
Ann Tatum Baker played a strong game, scoring 17 points and adding four assists. Kerley had six points and six rebounds, while Clara Crawford also pulled down six boards. Grace Garrett finished with six points and Claire Anderson added three assists.
Briarwood finished the year with a 21-12 record. The Lady Lions were in the regional final for the first time since 1998.
