A.C. Flora’s Simoy Evans guards Clinton’s Tootie Tribble. With two starters in the line–up named Tootie, the Clinton Lady Red Devils visited A.C. Flora Tuesday, February 16, and quickly learned the facts of life: The Lady Falcons came to play.

Actually, it took a while. After Alexis Jacobs followed a miss shot at the halfway mark of the first quarter, A.C. Flora led 2–0. That basket got the Lady Falcons going, and they exploded for another 13 points in the final four minutes of the quarter. The Lady Red Devils managed just one basket in the quarter – Tootie McGowan’s jumper in the paint at the 2:15 mark. A.C. Flora led 15–2 going into the second.

Melea Wimphrie hit a three–pointer to start the second quarter for Clinton, but the Lady Falcons responded with a 10–0 run doing most of their damage from the free throw line. They were 6–for–6 in that stretch.

A.C. Flora’s Kyeshia Dawkins gets a lay up against Clinton. Kiera Mars stopped the bleeding momentarily with a rebound and put–back, and Tymaya Harris’s bucket cut the lead to 25–9 with 1:15 remaining in the half. However, Haniyyah Howard banked in a long jumper for A.C. Flora. That was followed by Bria Kitt’s conventional three–point play and Kim Roach’s stick–back a second before the buzzer. A.C. Flora led 32–9 going into halftime.

The Red Devils doubled their point total in the third quarter, but the Lady Falcons still outscored them 11–10 to take a 43–19 lead into the final eight minutes. Roach led the charge with five of her game–high 15 points.

With the outcome pretty much settled, both coaches emptied their benches for the final quarter and played even. Jacobs added four more points to total eight for the Falcons. Shemieka Lloyd added a couple of baskets as well.

Kitt finished with 10 points, and Lauren Jones added six for the Lady Falcons.

Wimphrie led Clinton with nine points.

A.C. Flora will travel to Daniel Thursday, February 18, for second– round match–up with the Lady Lions who beat Greenville 75–37 to advance.