The Andalusia Lady Bulldogs won the Class 4A, Area 2 championship on Saturday and then secured a spot in the South Regional with a 44-33 victory over the UMS-Wright Lady Bulldogs on Monday night in Andalusia.

Andalusia got things started with intense defensive pressure that led to four straight UMS turnovers.

Shalisa Thomas had a couple of steals and a couple of baskets to help Andalusia to a 9-8 lead at the end of the first period.

Aaliyah Lawrence got the scoring going in the second period with a quick give-and-go to the bucket.

Alex Crittenden added a pair of buckets to give Andalusia a 20-14 lead with a little more than a minute left before halftime.

With seven seconds left on the clock before halftime, Lawrence secured a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast to give Andalusia a 24-14 lead at the break.

Lawrence picked right up where she left off in the first half with a quick bucket to start the third period.

Kat Finely followed with a 3-pointer to help give Andalusia a 31-17 lead heading in to the final frame.

UMS cut the lead down 8 points late in the final period, but clutch free throws from Andalusia lifted the home squad to a 44-33 victory.

Lawrence led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points in the win, including going 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth period.

“Other than one stretch there in the fourth period, I really thought we played great,” Andalusia head coach Brad Garner said. “Tonight, we did the things that made us the team we have become. That’s scraping, fighting and creating turnovers. Our girls really fought hard tonight and just stayed with the game plan. Making it to regionals was one of our goals, and I’m very proud of these girls.”

With the win, Andalusia moves on to the Class 4A South Regional in Dothan. The Lady Bulldogs will play this Saturday at 9 a.m.