By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The Munford Lady Cougars are heading to the Region 7-3A Girls Tournament title game Wednesday night after a 49-27 win over Hardin County. The victory in the Brighton Gymnasium tonight also guarantees the Lady Cougars a spot in the Sectional Round to be played Saturday night against a Region 8-3A opponent. Munford was led by senior guard Johnna Jones against the Hardin County Lady Tigers. Jones scored 22 points on the evening with 10 points in the third quarter. The Lady Tigers slowed down the pace of the game throughout the first half. Munford managed a 16-9 first quarter advantage behind the hot shooting of Kennisha Mason. The guard hit a couple of three-pointers early in the opening quarter. Mason hit a third triple of the night early in the second quarter to make the score 19-11. The Lady Cougars held a 22-14 lead at halftime. Then Jones helped create some breathing room for her squad for the first 6 points of the third period to give Munford a 28-14 advantage. Her fellow senior Shania “Maine Girl” Johnson hit a jumper to make the score 30-14. Then Jones hit another bucket making the lead 18 points. The final Munford basket of the third quarter was the highlight of the game when Gabby Crawford fired a laser from half court to a cutting Jones for a layup.
Munford was ahead 34-17 heading into the final period. The Lady Cougars tallied 15 points in the fourth quarter to lock up the victory and advance to the next round. Crawford and teammate Ali Gover both had 7 points in the winning effort. Mason finished with 9 points.
