Lady Red Devils basketball team off to 6-3 start
The Vina High School varsity girls’ basketball team improved to 6-3 this week after wins over Berry and Covenant Christian and a loss to Fayette County. The Lady Red Devils beat Berry on November 21 and played Covenant Christian and Fayette County on November 22.
VHS started its season on November 7 with a victory over Pickens Academy, beating the Lady Pirates 34-20. Down 15-13 at the halftime break, Vina adjusted in the second half and ran away with it, outscoring Pickens Academy 19-7. Junior Layla Hester led her team with 22 points in the season opener.
Three days later, on November 10, Vina beat Sumiton Christian 45-31 in the Vina Veterans Day Tournament before taking its first loss on November 13 to Cherokee 49-28. Hester was the top scorer for VHS in both of those games, as well, scoring 16 points against Sumiton and 18 points in the defeat to the Lady Indians.
Vina took on Tharptown in a first matchup between Franklin County teams on November 14 in that same tournament. The Lady Red Devils snuck by the Lady Wildcats 26-25 to improve them to 3-1 at that point. Senior Braxtyn Quinn’s nine points propelled Vina to the win over THS. Hester also added eight points and senior Miranda King had six points and 10 rebounds.
Vina captured the Veterans Day Tournament title with a 47-35 win over Class 3A Oakman on November 15. Hester had a team-high 25 points to lead the Lady Red Devils to the crown. Eighth grader Ceclia Rowbottom finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
A second loss came on November 20 when Waterloo took down Vina 67-46, but VHS rebounded with a 39-27 win over Berry on Friday and a 49-28 victory over Covenant Christian Saturday at the Vina Thanksgiving Tournament. In the Berry game, King led VHS in scoring with 12 points on four three-pointers. Against Covenant, King, Hester, and Rowbottom all reached double digits with 12, 10, and 11-point games, respectively. Rowbottom recorded a double-double by also grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds.
Vina’s last game, played Saturday, was a 62-37 loss to Fayette County. Hester had 18 points and King finished with 10.
Up next for the Lady Red Devils is their area opener at Phillips High School on December 2.