TANNER — Stepping to the free-throw line midway through the fourth

quarter, Jace Haggermaker laughed and shook his head as teammate Greg

Maclin commented about the foul.

Haggermaker obviously was in his element — playing basketball with

his Tanner High teammates.

And the rest of the Rattlers’ roster? They felt the same way.

Loose, relaxed and rested: Tanner had no trouble in its Limestone

County tournament opener. The Rattlers dominated from the start to

finish, cruising past Ardmore 75-45 on Thursday night in the semifinals.

“I think we all felt pretty good,” said Haggermaker, a senior center.

“All the time off we’ve had did us good. We’re rested up and ready to

play.”

That much was obvious. Tanner’s last game was Saturday against Madison

Academy, the end of a stretch where the Rattlers were averaging about

four games per week.

Now the Rattlers enter the important part of the season: Tournament time.

“This stretch right here, that’s what we’ve been working for,”

Haggermaker said. “We all feel pretty good about where we’re at.”

Tanner never trailed Ardmore, opening the first quarter with a 24-14

run. The Rattlers led by more than 30 points for most of the fourth

quarter.

But even though it was a lopsided win, Tanner still made the night

entertaining with lob pass dunks and athletic plays in the lane.

“The guys played pretty good,” Tanner coach Chris Whitt said. “We shot

the ball really well in the first half, better than 50 percent. It

wasn’t a bad night, at all.”

Haggermaker recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing

12 rebounds. Greg Maclin led the Rattlers with 17 points, while

Jonathon Fletcher scored 14 and Fred Rich added 11.

Myles Noblitt paced Ardmore with 15 points, and Ben Hargrove scored 14.

Tanner 57, East Limestone 45: Sydney Houston gave Tanner a strong

performance, leading the Rattlers to an upset of top-seeded East

Limestone in the tournament semifinals.

Houston finished with 25 points, including eight in the first quarter

that helped the Rattlers build a 15-point cushion by halftime.

“Something that we’ve talked a lot about is playing every game with

the mentality that we can win,” Tanner coach Larry Greene said. “I

think the girls are starting to buy into that, and you’re seeing it on

the floor.”

Tanner led the entire game. Samara French finished with 12 points for

Tanner, while Kelsey Houston added 11.

Brennan Crabtree led East Limestone with 13 points.

Contact Justin Graves at 256-340-2460 or by email at jgraves@decaturdaily.com.