By Kaitlyn Piggott and Haley Mitchell Godwin

Special to The Luverne Journal

The Lady Bulldogs traveled to Elba Monday for the first round of the area tournament where they came out on top over Kinston with a score of 45-34. 

Mary Driggers scored 17 points during the game and had 11 assists. Anna Parker Little put 13 points on the board and Alex Grimes scored eight points. Mia Mount contributed to the win with her 13 rebounds. 

The win secured the Lady Bulldogs’ place in the championship game Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. where they will play Elba.

Senior Mary Driggers was confident heading into Mondays game against Kinston.

“The team has worked really hard all season to get to where we are,” Driggers said. “We all have a lot of heart for the game, so we’ll come out fighting for the win.”

Head Coach Andre Parks is also optimistic and excited about the upcoming area championship games and the future of Brantley Basketball.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Brantley Bulldog,” Parks said. “This is why we put in all the hard work during the summer and long hours in the gym, so the players make it to moments like this. Both teams are playing well, but like I tell them often, close games will come down to execution and free throws. Both the boys and girls team are prepared and up for the challenge.”

The Brantley Bulldog boys started their playoff run strong at home Tuesday when they put on a show, bagging a 70-49 win over Kinston. The win secured the Bulldogs a place in the pivotal final match of the AHSAA Class 1A Area 2 tournament that will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Brantley gym.

Senior Janyies Tyson is proud of how the team played, sticking to Coach Parks’ game plan. 

“Coach was saying get it in the paint,” Tyson said “and throughout the game we were getting paint touches and that led us to a win.” 

Jayden Parks contributed largely to the win, scoring 20 points along with 7 rebounds and standout Daylan Davis dropped a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. 

The 70-49 victory was the Bulldogs’ 23rd straight at home win,bringing the Bulldogs record to 16-9. Brantley’s offense continues to show up, averaging 66.9 points per game at home. 

Brantley will face off against Florala during the 6 p.m. match-up Thursday in hopes to bring home the area championship. Tickets are $10.00 each for both the girl’s and boy’s games and can be purchased at the door or or via GoFan.com.