The Dibrell Lady Wildcats held a one-point lead at 18-17 to start the fourth quarter against the Lady Warriors of Centertown in the second round of the Morrison Ruritan Tournament.
The Lady Wildcat defense held Centertown to just two points in the third and then held them scoreless in the fourth.
Dibrell extended its lead and held on to win 25-17 over Centertown and advance to the championship game.
Calyn Damon from Dibrell led all scorers with eight points in the Friday evening win.
There were fourth-quarter shot attempts by Centertown, but not a single shot fell in the final six minutes.
Kylie Young turned up her offensive game down the stretch. She fired an uncontested shot from beyond the arch near the top of the key and the shot found the bottom of the net. Moments later, she dropped 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Damon finished up the offense in the fourth quarter and the Lady Wildcats went on to win by a final score of 25-17.
The first period was a dead heat and each team traded baskets and kept up the intensity. Rhealee Johnson kept Dibrell in the game on offense, while Centertown spread the ball around. Brianna Hartl, Madelynn Stubblefield, and Taylor Pegg scored for the Lady Warriors and it would be the trio’s only points of the game.
Centertown exploded into the lead with a nine-point second quarter. Jaden Smartt drove the ball right into the defense and picked up four points for her efforts. Ricki Valenta dropped in five of her seven points just before the half. She also shot 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
The offense fell off for Dibrell in the second. Poor shot selection and lack of defensive effort allowed the Lady Warriors to claim the lead at the half, 15-12.
The Lady Wildcats cut loose in the third and Dibrell outscored the Lady Warriors 6-2 in the quarter and reclaimed the lead 18-17. Bailey Glenn helped secure the lead for Dibrell.
Valenta was the only Lady Warrior to get a shot to drop in the third and just when Centertown thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did.
The Lady Warriors were held scoreless in the fourth as the Dibrell defense stifled the Centertown offense. Dibrell went on to win by a final score of 25-17 and secured its spot in the finals played on Saturday with results not available at press time.

LADY WILDCAT SCORING – Calyn Damon 8, Kylie Young 7, Rhealee Johnson 6, Bailey Glenn 2, Juju Pyburn 2
LADY WARRIOR SCORING – Ricki Valenta 7, Jaden Smartt 4, Taylor Pegg 2, Madelyn Stubblefield 2, Brianna Hartl 2