By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

The Lowndes Academy varsity girls basketball team will play in the final four for the AISA AA state basketball championship.

The Lady Rebels defeated Eastwood Christian School 51-33 in an Elite Eight contest played at Huntingdon College Thursday afternoon 51-33 to improve to 16-4. They will face Coosa Valley Academy at Huntingdon College at 3 p.m. today.

The final four game had been scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed due to winter weather concerns of snow and ice.

Khaki Gaston, a junior, led the Lady Rebels with 13 points, followed by Mallory McCurdy, a senior, with 10. Abby Ray,a freshman, Carmen Till, a sophomore, and Abby Pitts, a junior, all scored six points each.

Lowndes Academy led this contest all the way leading 31-8 at the half.

Lowndes Academy head basketball coach Jeff Lovell said his team watched an upset earlier in the day and did not want to become a casualty.

“I think the girls responded really well,” he said.
Lovell said Eastwood Christian was a school his team didn’t play this year. “And most of the time we seem to be more focused and into the game on teams we haven’t played before,” he said.

“They’re hungry, you know,” he said of his Lady Rebels. “We finished second last year and before we left this gym that was their commitment to get back and win another one.”

He said his entire team, included bench, players played well last Thursday.

Lovell said McCurdy was a leader, Till, a point guard, ran the show, and Pitts is one of the best defenders in the AISA.

Also last Thursday, the Lowndes Academy boys fell to East Memorial Christian Academy 50-28 to end their season at 11-11.
David Hussey, a sophomore, led the Rebels with 13 points and Garrett Headley, a senior, scored eight points.