Kirby Johnson played the role of hero last Friday night, hitting a three-pointer with 9 seconds left to give the Coosa Valley Lady Rebels a one-point win over Lakeside and advance the team to the AISA Final Four at Huntingdon College this weekend.

Another hero for the Lady Rebels came in the form of Kimberly Rutledge. Following Johnson’s three-pointer Rutledge, and eighth-grader, stole the ball from a Lakeside player before she had a chance to shoot what could have been a game-winning shot.

&uot;I thought that Kirby possibly shot a little too quick and they (Lakeside) were going to get another shot,&uot; Lady Rebel head coach Kimbo Rutledge said. &uot;Kimberly made a big play for us on the defensive end of the floor.&uot;

With the win, the Lady Rebels (21-4) will face Sparta Academy in the opening round of the Final Four at Huntingdon Collage at 3 p.m. Friday.

Molly Brasher recorded a double-double for the Lady Rebels, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the win.

Johnson scored 13 points and Rutledge scored 9 points, grabbed 11 boards and had six steals.

The Lady Rebels fell behind early in the game when Lakeside outscored them 17-5 in the opening period. CVA fought back, going on a 12-2 run in the second period and taking a 20-18 lead at the half.

&uot;A big key for us during that run was the play of seniors Lori (Patterson) and Tessa (Lacy),&uot; Kimbo Rutledge said. &uot;Their defensive play helped us a lot and gave us the upper hand. They have been our leaders all year.&uot;

Another local team making the trip to the Final Four will be the Shelby Academy Raiders.

Head coach James Noles’ Raiders defeated Crenshaw Christian Academy 54-45 in regional play to advance to the AISA Class 1A Final Four at Huntingdon.

Jamie Griffin paced the Raiders posted a double-double to pace the Raiders in the win with 20 points and 11 rebounds. He also had three assists.

Josh Kervin chipped in 11 points, including a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the three-point arc. Kervin also recorded three assists.

Big man Justin Klepin scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds for the Raiders in the win.

&uot;I thought we played really well, especially our guards,&uot; Noles said. &uot;We really took care of the ball.

&uot;We slowed the ball and the game down and really frustrated them by stopping their running game.

&uot; It was a total team effort.&uot;

The Lady Raiders and the Coosa Valley boys team were not as fortunate, falling in regional play.

The Rebels were defeated by Ashford 61-58 in overtime, ending their season with a mark of 19-8.

Brandon Nix paced the Rebels with 31 points and 14 rebounds and Zach Rutledge recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.

Casey Hall scored five points for the Rebels.

The Shelby Academy Lady Raiders lost 40-22 to South Montgomery County Academy in Class 1A regional play.

Amanda Hoppers was the only Lady Raider in double figures with 10 points.

In the low-scoring affair, the score was knotted a 8-8 at the half before SMCA outscored SA 16-6 in the third period.

&uot;We fought back and cut the lead to 10 with about four minutes to play and it just got away from us down the stretch in the last few minutes,&uot; head coach Dewayne Kervin said.

The Lady Raiders end the season with a 13-8 record