Crenshaw Christian Academy (CCA) varsity girls defeated South Choctaw Academy Tuesday, with a 42-29 win. The Lady Cougars advance to the Alabama Independent School Association Finals Class A on Friday.

The two teams met on the court at Cramton Bowl Wednesday morning. According to CCA varsity girls coach Cris Pedersen, the team which brought many new girls, were ready to take the win.

“It means everything,” Pedersen said. “We had a lot of new girls coming together who have never really played together. It was super exciting to make it this far, period.”

CCA established their lead early in the game, ending the first period ahead 8-5. By the third period, the Cougars expanded their gain over the Rebels, ending the third period at 27-14 in CCA’s favor.

South Choctaw varsity girls coach Charlie Taylor said his team played hard but struggled with shooting throughout the year.

“We have a proud tradition for South Choctaw Lady Rebels basketball,” Taylor said. “We’ve made the Final Four seven of the last eight years. I’m proud of them for getting here but we’ve had a struggle with shooting all year. We struggled with shooting tonight and that’s what did us in.”

Pedersen said Cougar seniors Lakin Harrell, number 13, and Tanna Singleton, number 21, have a chemistry which brings the team together. He relied on that chemistry for the win, he added.

“They have played together a little bit when they were younger,” Pederson said. “You can tell they have a chemistry on the floor. They had the chemistry from the jump and I can’t say enough about them. They are two Allstars as well. They both made Allstar team from a small 1A school in Crenshaw County, so we are pretty excited about that.

Several key players brought the Rebels to the Final Four, Taylor said, bringing skills to offense and defense.

“Marlee Williams [number 23] is our point guard,” Taylor said. “She’s our quarterback on the court. She makes it happen for us, getting us all in the right set, making the right reads.”

“Her and Maggie Diamond [number 5] and Claudia Diamond [number 3], Marlee is our shooter. Maggie is our defensive ace. They provided a lot of leadership all year for this team.”

According to Taylor, the Rebels boast a strong defense and will continue working on their office with a focus on shooting.

Pederson said the Cougars are eager to face Lowndes Academy in the championship Friday. Tipoff begins at 9 a.m. at Cramton Bowl.

“We’re really looking forward to the challenge of playing Lowndes,” Pedersen said. “We’ve played them twice already this year and I think we can hang with them. We’re going to do our best.”

Tickets for the game can be purchased from S2 Pass. There will not be a cash gate at the event.