By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

HARPERSVILLE – The Coosa Valley basketball Lady Rebels hosted the Coosa Valley Academy Holiday Tournament on Dec. 18-19 and won the tournament going away. The Lady Rebels beat a feisty East Memorial Christian Academy in a game where Coosa Valley had to rally from an early 13-point deficit before beating Cornerstone in a game where the Lady Lions never trailed to get the tournament title.

The Lady Rebels came out flat against EMCA, and missed their first 18 shots in the first quarter as they fell in an early 13-0 hole. After shots finally began to fall, Coosa Valley rallied and only trailed by four, 16-12, at the half. The second half was a different story entirely, as the Lady Rebels outscored the Lady Wildcats 21-5 in the second half to get the 33-21 win. After falling in the early 13-0 hole, Coosa Valley went on a 33-8 run to close the game and win by 11.

Kalei Merrifield led Coosa Valley with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Sarah Warren added nine points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in the opener.

In the championship game against in-county opponent Cornerstone, Coosa Valley never trailed as it won the title by a final of 55-37 in a game that saw much more offense than the semifinal. Leading just 26-22 at the half, the Lady Rebels used a 14-2 run which encompassed the entire third quarter to pull away and get the win, moving the Lady Rebels to 7-2 overall.

Merrifield had 12 points and 11 boards in the championship for her second double-double of the tournament while Warren had 13 points and 16 rebounds to go along with three blocks and was named the tournament MVP. Merrifield and Denise Niven both made the all-tournament team as well.

The Lady Rebels moved to 7-2 and are the No. 8 team in the state in the AISA.