By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
Perhaps they had a case of turkey hangover or they were not used to the early moring wake up call.
Fortunately for the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers, they recovered just in time to post a 47-36 triumph over the Alabama Christian Academy Lady Eagles in Friday's opening round of the Greenville Tournament.
"We were sluggish for whatever reason. We did things we normally don't do. We made too many turnovers and our defense wasn't what I wanted," T.R. Miller coach Ron Jackson said. "At least we did find a way to win."
Actually the start of the game was not that bad for the Lady Tigers (2-0). T.R. Miller used a trio of field goals by Joy McCorvey and two more buckets from Ashley Samuel to build a 14-7 advantage in the opening frame.
The next two qurters would be a different story, as T.R. Miller hit just five field goals and committed 10 turnovers.
Alabama Christian Academy began the second quarter on a 9-0 run that was capped off by back-to-back hoops by Leah Sirmen. The second of those baskets gave the Lady Eagles a 16-14 lead.
Two field goals by McCorvey quickly wiped out that deficit and put T.R. Miller back on top for the remainder of the half.
That cushion would be a thin one though, as the Lady Tigers managed to open up just a 21-19 lead at half-time.
A bucket and three free throws by McCorvey kept the Lady Tigers on top by a slim margin most of the third quarter. Alabama Christain Academy took its lone lead of the third quarter when Carrie Ainsworth's three-pointer put the Lady Eagles ahead 29-28.
Samuel scored off an assist from McCorvey with 11 seconds left in the period to put T.R. Miller back on top 30-29.
Two minutes into the fourth quarter Alabama Christian Academy took its last lead when a hoop by Ainsworth put the Lady Eagles up 31-30. That turned out to be Alabama Christian Academy's last bucket of the game.
Over the next four minutes the Lady Tigers defense forced four turnovers, while its offense went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good.
Samuel was a big part of T.R. Miller's surge. The 5-9 senior had been limited to just eight points through three periods, but she broke loose for 11 in the final frame. In fact, Samuel scored T.R. Miller's final 10 points with a pair of field goals and a six-for-nine effort from the free throw line.
The win sent T.R. Miller into Saturday' semifinal game where it met Selma. Selma beat Vigor in the opening round.
At Greenville
Alabama CC 7 12 10 7 – 36
T.R. Miller 14 7 9 17 – 47
ALABAMA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Sirmen 5-0-2-12; Brendle 2-0-2-6; Hogan 1-1-1-6; Ainsworth 1-1-0-5; Lazenby 0-0-2-2; Baldwin 1-0-1-3; Sanderson 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 11-2-8-36)
T.R. MILLER (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Samuel 6-0-7-19; McCorvey 7-0-3-17; Sanford 4-0-0-8; Smith 1-0-1-3 (Totals: 18-0-11-47)