Lauderdale County girls basketball sets Alabama state record for consecutive wins
Photo courtesy of Lauderdale County High School
The Lauderdale County High girls basketball team.
The girls from Lauderdale County (Rogersville, Ala.) finally got to the point they had been working toward. Now their winning streak will live on in Alabama lore.
According to Al.com, the Tigers moved to 28-0 with a 69-48 triumph over Central (Florence) to notch their 73rd-straight win. Later in the day Saturday, they completed the county tournament victory with No. 74, a 57-26 victory over Lexington.
The previous record holder was Athens, which won 72 in a row between 2001-03. The story also mentioned that Lauderdale County, an Alabama High School Athletic Association member, bested the mark of 72 in the Alabama Independent School Association set by South Montgomery County from 1985-87, so it's a true state record.
Makayla Liles, the only senior on the team, told the newspaper "We just knew we had to keep our minds focused and do what we came here to do, and it was to win. We had to take the pressure and set it aside so we could conquer what we did tonight.
Coach Brent Llewellyn said "It's a huge sigh of relief. We just talked to the girls and told them how proud of them we were. It was a hard-fought game. We're glad it's over. We told them that life as we know it just went back to normal. And we can start focusing on the the things that we want to accomplish this season.
"The thing I'm proudest of is how the kids handled this whole thing," Llewellyn added during the interview. "There may have been some pressure on us coaches, but I can't imagine being a player with all that pressure on them and going out there in front of a crowd like this and being asked to perform night-in and night-out. They were able to keep their composure. It was a little scary at times, but they pulled it back together. I'm just so relieved for them."
