FAMU ousts Graceville, 62-43

TALLAHASSEE — FAMU High girls basketball coach Ahmad Aliyy said Saturday night’s Class 1A region final against Graceville was the game his team had to win in order to believe it could claim a state championship.
    The Rattlers now believe. FAMU downed the Tigers 62-43 to clinch a spot in the Class 1A Final Four, which begins Wednesday in Lakeland. The Rattlers will play Deltona Trinity Christian in the semifinals.
    Freshman Precious Hall, playing in what she called the biggest game of her life, scored the first eight points of the game on her way to a game-high 28. She also contributed five assists and eight steals.
    “She, on offense, is our go-to person,” Aliyy said of Hall. “She gets us going.”
    Hall is in her first year at FAMU and looking forward to the trip to Lakeland.
    “I’m kind of excited because I’ve never been to a state championship, and the girls are telling me how much fun it’s going to be playing against other teams,” she said. “I haven’t been to one, they haven’t been to one, so it’s kind of exciting just to take them there.”
    After a close first quarter, the Rattlers appeared to pull away in the second and went into halftime with a 31-21 lead. Graceville, however, came out of the break with a new intensity, and went on an 11-3 run that closed the gap to 34-32. From there, FAMU took control, allowing just 11 points for the rest of the game.
    Graceville’s Mychae Williams led the Tigers with 13 points. Cayla Walker added seven.
    The loss ended a 19-game winning streak for Graceville, which ended its season 25-3.