Central Lady Red Devils top Auburn, advance to Final Four

Before the season started, the Central Lady Red Devils made it a goal to “get on the bus” and go to Birmingham for the Class 7A final four. After Tuesday’s game, the Lady Red Devils were officially ready to buckle up.

Central topped Auburn 39-34 in the Central Region finals game. With a strong effort from Tiyah Johnson, who scored a game-high 17 points and was named the region’s MVP, the Lady Red Devils outlasted a hard-charging Auburn squad that failed to capitalize on the tight nature of the game.

“Basketball is a game of runs,” Central head coach Carolyn Wright said. “We wanted to be the one that was running last. We just had to spread the floor, make them foul us, use up the clock and just play smart. Fans don’t like that kind of game, but you can do that and win.”

Wright’s squad could never catch its breath with the Tigers keeping the game within two possessions in the final three minutes of the game. But as Auburn’s offense sputtered, Central (26-4) continued to do enough to maintain its lead through clutch rebounding and solid free-throw shooting.

Johnson was one of the Lady Red Devils to go to the line in the waning minutes, and the thought of punching the ticket to Birmingham weighed heavily on her mind.

With the crowd getting louder around her, one thought persisted through her head.

“Just make it,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get to Birmingham any way possible. I just have to knock them down.”

The sound of the final buzzer filling the Acadome was quite a thrill for Teyah Johnson, who finished the victory with eight points.

“I was the happiest person ever,” Teyah said. “We’ve said we’re going to Birmingham since before the season started, and now we’re going. I’m just happy to get on that bus.”

Wright said she told the team in the preseason that in order to hit its playoff objective, the team had to improve its work ethic. She admitted she herself would also have to step it up in order to make it happen.

If Tuesday’s showing was an indicator, it was mission accomplished for all involved.

“I’ve been in this business 26 years,” Wright said. “I’ve told my kids, ‘No emotions.’ I try to stay solid and try to coach them to where they need to be. But, yes, I did get a headache. I do get excited. I don’t care how many years you’ve been in it.”

By defeating Auburn (22-8) for the third time in four tries this season, Central sets itself up with a chance for history.

The team’s Birmingham berth marks only the third time during Wright’s 26 years that the team has reached the Final Four. Central gets its shot against Hoover on Thursday, March 2.

Now that the bus is running, it’ll soon be time for the Lady Red Devils to prove whether they can handle themselves behind the wheel.

“We just feel good about where we are and what we’re doing,” Wright said.

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Central Lady Red Devils top Auburn, advance to Final Four."