Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Briarwood Christian Lions are riding a hot streak after earning two victories in as many days over Class 6A opponents.

Briarwood went on the road and defeated the Helena Huskies 44-38 on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Helena High School before returning home on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and beating the Homewood Patriots 47-30 at Briarwood Christian School.

In the first game of the week at Helena, Emma Kerley paced the offense early, knocking down a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers and scoring eight points in the opening quarter.

That proved to be crucial in a tightly-fought quarter with the Huskies, with Jaterrica Moody and Amari Grant combining for eight points for Helena, but an Ann Tatum Baker field goal proved to be the difference between the teams as the Lions led 10-9 after the first quarter.

However, that lead would not last for long as Mallory Rhodes hit her first two baskets of the game, scoring five points in the second while Grant and Hannah Satterfield also found the scoreboard.

Kerley was held to just three points in the second, but Clara Crawford helped make up some of the difference with her first four points of the evening. However, it wasn’t enough to make up all of the difference as Helena took the lead and was up 18-17 as the teams went into the locker room.

Both offenses kicked into a new gear in the third quarter as Grace Garrett and Sasha Muniker made their first offensive marks of the game with 3-pointers while Baker scored of a pair of field goals as well for Briarwood.

That wouldn’t be enough to counter Satterfield and Moody as both Huskies got into double figures with Satterfield scoring eight points in the third and Moody adding seven points to her total.

As a result, Helena increased its lead to 33-29 going into the fourth quarter. That meant it was just a two-possession game, leaving the door open for the Lions to strike.

Briarwood’s defense locked in and allowed just six points in the fourth quarter, including just four from the field.

Meanwhile on the offensive end, Kerley scored six points to will the Lions forward. However, it was Baker who made the biggest difference down the stretch, hitting a big 3-pointer and going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Those shots helped keep the Huskies at bay and gave Briarwood the six-point win.

Kerley led the Lions with 19 points and Baker finished with 15 points. Crawford ended the game with four points.

As for Helena, Grant had 14 points, Satterfield posted 12 points, Moody earned seven points and Rhodes rounded out the scoring with six points.

That gave Briarwood momentum heading into a home contest with Homewood.

The Lions rode the deep ball early as Baker, Munikar and Sarah Travis each hit a 3-pointer to pace the offense. Those deep shots accounted for nine of Briarwood’s 10 first-quarter points.

However, the Lions bypassed the 3-point line for shots inside the arc during the second and third quarters, finding success down low and in the mid-range to keep the offense going.

Crawford and Garrett each scored four points in the second to give Briarwood 22 points heading into the halftime break.

Crawford’s four points in the second were a sign of things to come as she scored six points in the third quarter to get into double figures for the evening. She and Kerley made for a strong combo as the juniors combined for all 12 of Briarwood’s points in the third.

The offense continued to make a name for itself in the fourth quarter thanks to six points from Garrett to give her a double-digit scoring performance, and Kerley made it three Lions above the 10-point threshold by scoring four points in the fourth. Munikar tacked on another 3-pointer as well to make it two on the night for her.

The defense made a statement throughout the game though, keeping the Patriots quiet so the offense could establish a double-digit lead and secure the victory.

In the end, Briarwood walked away with the 17-point win to keep its winning ways going.

Kerley finished with 12 points, Crawford dropped 11 points and Garrett secured 10 points. In addition, Muniker had six points and Travis earned five points.

Kerley’s 12-point performance came after she surpassed 1,000 career points during the Pelham Turkey Tipoff over Thanksgiving break. A special presentation is planned for the Lions’ home game on Friday, Dec. 13 against the Montevallo Bulldogs.