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Briarwood outlasted McAdory to reach the second round off a 73rd-minute Carson Tucker goal as the Lions defense helped pave the way for an opportunistic rebound strike. (For the Reporter/Kelsea Schafer)

Briarwood outlasted McAdory to reach the second round off a 73rd-minute Carson Tucker goal as the Lions defense helped pave the way for an opportunistic rebound strike. (For the Reporter/Kelsea Schafer)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – The Briarwood Christian Lions had to fight hard to get across the line, but they got the job done late in their first-round matchup with the McAdory Yellow Jackets to survive and advance to the next round.

Briarwood defeated McAdory 1-0 on Friday, April 25 at Lions Pride Stadium to outlast the upset-minded Yellow Jackets in a tightly-fought first round contest.

The Lions entered the match off a tough test as they faced a rotated Oak Mountain squad and lost 7-1 in their regular season finale, but before the loss to the undefeated national No. 1 side, they had won each of their last 12 matches.

In all, Briarwood has lost just twice since an 0-3 stint at the Southern Shootout, once to the 7A No. 1 Eagles and once to the 6A No. 1 Homewood Patriots, securing tight wins against most of their opposition with opportune goals and tight defense.

Both came into play on Friday night in a game that saw the Lions tangle with a 16-2 McAdory team that had only two losses to Helena on its resume but one taking on easily its biggest test of the season.

Briarwood’s defense dominated the early run of play as the Lions kept the Jackets scoreless in the opening 40 minutes.

That proved crucial as the Lions couldn’t just score in the first half, leaving the teams tied 0-0 at the break, but in the opening hour.

Briarwood entered the final 10 minutes still in search of a goal to avoid overtime, or worse, a loss that would end the season prematurely for the No. 3 team in Class 6A.

Their strike came in the 73rd minute when Thomas Lanier stepped up to the free kick spot. He curled a cross 40 yards into the box for a rising Jake Vandixhorn. While Vandixhorn’s effort hit the crossbar, Carson Tucker was there with the rebound.

Tucker’s scissor-kick shot buried the ball in the back of the net to put the Lions up 1-0 with a long-awaited goal.

Briarwood’s defense held on for the final seven minutes to secure the clean sheet and advance to the second round.

The game was another example of the Lions’ improved set-piece execution. Briarwood scored off free kicks or corner kicks just twice in the entire 2024 season, but it has turned into a strength, leading to all three goals in the home game against Pelham and the one against McAdory.

The Lions will have a tough test on their hands in the second round when they host their area foe the Chelsea Hornets on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. at Lions Pride Stadium. Briarwood holds a 2-0 season-series lead over Chelsea having won 6-2 at home and 2-1 on the road.

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