Finishing the job

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: April 8, 2017

White Plains team, Alexandria’s Stevens complete wire-to-wire victories in the Calhoun County Girls Tournament

Alexandria senior Abby Stevens takes a break after going wire-to-wire to win the Calhoun County Girls Championship at Pine Hill.

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

Abby Stevens usually sleeps pretty good the night before a tournament, but there was something about sleeping on a lead not even the softest Comfort Sleeper could have helped.

The Alexandria senior had the most unsettling sleep with the overnight lead in the Calhoun County Girls Golf Championship. But she promises to sleep “like a baby” Saturday night after finishing the job at Pine Hill Country Club.

Working on about four hours sleep, Stevens shot a final-round 82 for a two-day total 160 that was six shots better than White Plains freshman Hanna Dyar for her first career tournament win. White Plains sophomore Lexee Cunningham was third.

“It was crazy,” Stevens said. “I normally don’t get nervous, but I couldn’t sleep last night because I kept thinking about (her six-shot overnight lead); it was really bad. I thought I would just go in feeling good and not worry about it (but) when I laid down all the nerves rushed in at me at once. Then I got here and I trashed the first nine and brought it back around.

“It’s awesome though because Hanna’s such a good player and Lexee is a really good player, too. I was playing against really good people, so it’s kind of the best day ever.”

White Plains successfully defended its team title with basically a new team, posting a 524 total to win by 14 over Stevens’ Lady Cubs.

Despite what she called “trashing” the front nine, Stevens’ lead wasn’t really threatened. Sure, she bogeyed each of her first three holes and played the first five in 5-over, but she never led by fewer than three strokes.

That was the margin when she came to 11, but Stevens birdied with help of her best pitch of the day and Dyar bogeyed and all she had to do from there was keep it in the road.

“When I double-bogeyed that hole (No. 5) I got a little bit scared,” she said. “(No. 11) was kind of the turning point in the round.”

The Lady Wildcats started the day with a 10-shot team lead and Saturday counted an 81 from Dyar, an 85 from Cunningham and a 97 from seventh-grader Bailey Webb. After Stevens’ 82, the Lady Cubs counted a 92 from Gracie Muncher and a 93 from Megan Harvey.

It was the Lady Wildcats’ second tournament title in three days and couldn’t be a better sign with sectional, substrate and state tournaments on the horizon. Both Dyar and Cunningham described it as the first step towards a greater goal.

“We lost a Division I and Division II golfer and we replaced them with a seventh-grader and a freshman who’s just learning the game,” White Plains coach Chris Randall said. “To be able to win it again with really a new team that’s pretty special and the girls are really excited about it.

“We’re just going to keep improving. This is the best we’ve played this year, so we’re starting to peak at the right time. We really think the best is yet to come.”

CALHOUN COUNTY GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
At Pine Hill CC
Team scores
White Plains 261-263–524
Alexandria 271-267–538
Oxford 282-269–551
Pleasant Valley 331-334–665
Saks 371-375–746
Weaver 378-380–758

Individual scores
x-Abby Stevens (Alexandria) 78-82—160
x-Hanna Dyar (White Plains) 85-81—166
x-Lexee Cunningham (White Plains) 84-85—169
x-Kayla Huckeba (Oxford) 91-84—175
x-Anna Bolton (Oxford) 94-85—179
x-Megan Harvey (Alexandria) 93-93—186
x-Abby Gattis (White Plains) 96-97—193
x-Kaylee Reaves (Oxford) 97-100—197
x-Bailey Webb (White Plains) 101-97—198
x-Gracie Muncher (Alexandria) 106-92—198
x-Destiny Heathcock (Alexandria) 100-101—201
x-Gabby Fagan (Pleasant Valley) 101-108—209
x-Ary Rosario (White Plains) 101-109—210
x-Caitlin Lewis (White Plains) 104-109—213
x-Cheyenne James (Saks) 106-108—214
Caitlin Roland (Jacksonville) 113-118—231
Grace Davis (Pleasant Valley) 111-122—233
Lauren Cobb (Pleasant Valley) 119-115—234
Sarah Ford (Pleasant Valley) 131-111—234
Carmella Reese (Weaver) 131-120—251
Marlie Wright (Pleasant Valley) 130-121—251
Autumn Ray (Weaver) 123-128—251
Callie McFall (Jacksonville) 123-120—253
Faith Bonness (Saks) 126-127—253
Kara Burgess (Weaver) 124-132—256
Briana Behel (Saks) 139-140—279
Peyton Mcintyre (Oxford) 144-135—279
Deanna Jennings (Saks) 143-144—287
Estefania Gomez (Saks) 144-146—290
Abbie Vingers (Sacred Heart) 102-WD
Cassia Rissler (Ohatchee) 116-WD
Allison Arenth (White Plains) 92-DQ
x-All-County Team