The Central Junior High School Jr. Lady Redbirds are headed to the state tournament following a thrilling 61-55 win over host Johnston City Friday in the Regional Championship game at Washington School.
After a nip-and-tuck first quarter left the teams knotted at 9-9, West Frankfort reeled off a 22-7 scoring run that lasted the duration of the second frame to take a commanding a 31-16 halftime lead.
The Jr. 'Birds continued to push the accelerator to the floor to open the second half, extendin their lead to 43-20 on a Morgan Griffith jumper with around three minutes to go in the third quarter. But the Jr. Lady Indians came to life and turned the tables on West Frankfort, playing a furious came of catch-up that eventually shaved the visitor's down to just two at 53-51 with 1:30 to go in the game.
However, Central found its bearings and scored six of the game's next ten points before Jacklynn Calvert put the final touches on the win by knocking down a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to seal the victory.
