WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT LAUDERDALE COUNTY - PART 2

Today's lead up to the Sub State game vs Lauderdale County is how they did against the Sheffield Bulldogs.  Sheffield is a tall team - read how Lauderdale did against a bigger lineup.



The Bulldogs took the lead early and never let up in beating Lauderdale County 57-40 in the championship game of the Class 3A, Area 16 tournament. It is the first area title for the Sheffield boys since 2005.
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Sheffield (19-7) will host West Morgan in a sub-regional game Friday with the winner earning a trip to Hanceville for the Northwest Regional. The Tigers, meanwhile, will play at Elkmont on Friday.


LCHS (14-14) struggled offensively after leading scorer Drew Newton picked up three fouls in just over four minutes and went to the bench. Sheffield led 12-9 after one quarter.
Danley made a steal and dunk to start the second quarter. LCHS pulled within two at 16-14 after a 3-pointer from Jakob Liles, but Danley responded with a trey and Charles Jackson converted a three-point play to make it 22-14.


A tip by Danley, a three-point play from Simon Ridgeway and a layup from J.D. Smith extended Sheffield’s lead to 29-16. The Tigers got baskets from Corey Cosby and Jacob Netwon in a 6-0 run that cut it to 29-22, but Smith scored back-to-back baskets in the final minute to put Sheffield up 33-22 at halftime.


“We made a little run to cut into the lead, but then we turned it over three straight times,” LCHS coach Mark Newton said. “Sheffield really came out ready to play. They were aggressive and physical, and we didn’t handle it well.”


LCHS cut the margin to 35-28 early in the third quarter, but couldn’t get any closer. The Bulldogs were able to get the ball inside and draw fouls. Sheffield made 7 of 9 free throws in the quarter and led 46-32 after Jerwan Thompson converted a three-point play.  Sheffield put it out of reach by scoring eight straight points to start the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 43-32.


Observation:  Lauderdale County has a harder time defending a good inside the paint game.  They have trouble with aggressive, physical teams.  One key will be Cole Glass having a big night and the Red Devils staying out of foul trouble.