It’s been about two months since the Logan County Middle School Tournament was played. The LoJo reported in depth on the Adairville Cardinals’ championship in the boys division (see the story at http://www.theloganjournal.com/Stories.aspx?Article=sports1180), but we neglected the girls division. The announcement last week that Logan County middle school basketball as we have known it is drastically changing reminded us that we still owe the girls their due. We apologize for the delay.

With Nora Epley and Emerson McKinnis scoring six points each in the final stanza, the Auburn Lady Tigers broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to win 32-19 over Olmstead for the championship of the Logan County Middle School Tournament at Logan County High School Feb. 2.

The game was tight for three quarters. Coach Josh Hall’s Lady Tigers led by two points at the first two stops and by three after three. The final period was all Auburn by a 14-4 count.

McKinnis finished with 16 points, including going 6 of 12 at the line. The other Lady Tigers got only 2 of 10 free throws to fall. Epley didn’t score until the final period, but she hit a pair of 3-pointers then.

A big factor in Auburn’s win was defense, especially against Lady Ram standout Gracie Borders. She had scored 266 points (15.6 points per game) this season, but Auburn held her to six points in this game with half of them coming on a fourth-quarter 3-pointer.

Mallory Robertson joined her with six points, and Chloe Newman scored four.

Score by quarters: 1) AMS 6-4, 2) 14-12, 3) 18-15, Final) Auburn 32, Olmstead 19

AMS (32) Emerson McKinnis 16, Nora Epley 6, Carley Covington 4, Avery Beason 3, Jaylin Allen 2, Sydni Blick 1, Erin Hochstetter, Kelby Perdue, Kaelyn Perdue, McKenna Warren, Abigail Reeder

OMS (19) Gracie Borders 6, Mallory Robertson 6, Chloe Newman 4, Kinzi Cross 2, Sydney Baldwin 1, Elana Edler, Carrie Gloyd, Leabel Baker, Payton Pinada, Maciah Haley

Auburn 37, Adairville 22

Score by quarters: 1) AuMS 11-4, 2) 22-9, 3) 32-13, Final) Auburn 37, Adairville 22

This semifinal was never close with Auburn building leads of 7, 13 and 19 points after each of the first three quarters. Adairville scored over half its points in the fourth quarter.

Epley and McKinnis led the way again with Epley scoring 10 points and McKinnis 8. Epley hit a pair of 3-pointers in this game, just as she did in the championship game.

Carley Covington was the only Lady Tiger to draw shooting fouls, and she hit three of four free throws.

Free throws were scarce for the Lady Cardinals, too. Emma Robertson and Takyah Mason each shot two, hitting one each.

Ellie Carter led Coach Daniel Hartley’s Lady Cards with 6 points while Robertson added 5.

Score by quarters: 1) AuMS 11-4, 2) 22-9, 3) 32-13, Final) Auburn 37, Adairville 22

AuMS (37) Epley 10, McKinnis 8, Covington 5, Kaelyn Perdue 4, Hochstetter 4, Beason 4, Blick 2, Kelby Perdue, Warren, Allen

AdMS (22) Ellie Carter 6, Emma Robertson 5, Eva Bouldin 4, Takyah Mason 3, Thalia Mason 2, Ana Chavez 2, Ella Violette, Bella Gaddis, Kenzie Mowles, Mya Nichols

Olmstead 28, Lewisburg 22

Lewisburg had no answer for Gracie Borders, who scored 14 of her tournament-high 18 points in the first half. Nine of those points came in the second quarter.  The Rangerettes tried to stop her, but they kept sending her to the foul line. She shot 10 free throws, hitting 4.

Her best help came from Cross, who scored 6.

Coach Brent Hinton’s Lewisburg team had good balance with three players—Reagan Christian, Kadence Holloway and Emily Borders—scoring 6 each.

Good free throw shooting could have won the game for LMS, but the Rangerettes hit just 5 of 21 freebies.

Score by quarters: 1) OMS 9-3, 2) 20-11, 3) 24-11, Final) Olmstead 28, Lewisburg 22

OMS (28) Borders 18, Cross 6, Newman 2, Pinada 2, Robertson, Edler

LMS (22) Raegan Christian 6, Kadence Holloway 6, Emily Borders 6, Lilly Harris 2, Brianna Greenwood 1, Keirstein Harper 1, Whitney Christian,

Adairville 19, Chandlers 15

This game was close throughout. Adairville led at every stop but by two and one point after the first two quarters. The game was won, basically, by the Lady Cardinals’ defense shutting down the Lady Bears in the third quarter. That turned a 12-11 halftime lead into a 17-11 score going into the final period.

Mason led the winners with 6 points while Bouldin and Robertson had 4 each.

Kilby Long led Coach Nick Suttle’s Lady Bears with 7 points, but she only got 1 of 6 free throws to count. McKenzie Robinson went 2 for 2 at the line.

Score by quarters: 1) AMS 8-6, 2) 12-11, 3) 17-11, Final) Adairville 19, Chandlers 15

AMS (19) Mason 6, Bouldin 4, Robertson 4, Carter 3, Fernandez 2, Violette, Chavez

CMS (15) Kilby Long 7, Lauren Fuller 4, McKenzie Robertson 2, Bethany Thompson 2, Destiny Parrish, Gracie Belcher, Addye Davenport