Hebron relied on a fast paced game plan and ran Cardinal Gibbons out of the gym, to take the Jim Clarke Classic title Saturday night. The Lions defeated previously unbeaten Cardinal Gibbons 60-35 in the championship game held at Bishop Moore in Orlando. Cardinal Gibbons, ranked No. 6 in Class AAAA in Florida, found itself down 22-7 at the end of the first quarter. Gibbons would not just roll over however and fought their way back into the game outscoring Hebron 15-11 in the second quarter to cut the lead to 33-22 at the half. The Lions opened the third quarter with a 12-4 run opening a 45-26 lead late in the period and Gibbons never threatened again. Hebron’s size was a big factor as Gibbons did not get many second chances on their offensive possessions. Hebron’s bigs Carly Heidger, Malia Fisher and Jessie Parish dominated the glass all night leaving their opponents from Ft. Lauderdale frustrated. The trio combined for 35 rebounds. Fisher was dominant posting a double double performance leading the team in scoring and rebounds with 21 and 17 respectively. Parish also had a double double as she scored 15 points and pulled down 10 boards. Nicole Azar had 12 points and five assists while Carly Fahey had a team high seven assists to go with seven rebounds and four points. Heidger had eight boards and three points while Ella Heard added five points Parish was named tournament Most Valuable Player while Azar was named to the All Tournament team. With the win, Hebron improves its record to 15-0 on the year while Cardinal Gibbons falls to 12-1. The Lions will head to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow for some fun at Disney. The team will head home on Monday. Up next is a meeting with Northwest Guilford (NC) next Friday in the She Got Game Classic at Wheeler High School. Northwest Guilford is 11-1 on the season and is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAA in North Carolina. Tipoff is 7:25 PM.

Hebron had no trouble in their semifinal game of the Jim Clarke Classic as they quickly dispatched Lake Brantley (FL) 63-20 to advance to the championship game. The Lions dominated from the outset of the game played at Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando. Nicole Azar had a solid night as she led the team in scoring with 17 points to go with six assists and five steals. Malia Fisher put up 14 points and six rebounds while Malia Melton had eight points and four rebounds. Carly Fahey had six assists, six steals and two points while Jessie Parish chipped in eight points. Sidney Whalen dropped five points while Carly Heidger added five points and a game high 10 boards for the Lions who up their record to 14-0 on the season. With the win, they advance to the tournament championship game where they will face Cardinal Gibbons (FL), a 64-35 winner over DeLand in its semifinal. Cardinal Gibbons, from the Ft. Lauderdale area, is 12-0 and ranked No. 6 in class AAAA in Florida. Tipoff is 6:30 PM tomorrow at Bishop Moore.

Hebron overcame a 4:30 AM wakeup call and a nine-hour bus ride from Atlanta, and defeated the host team, Bishop Moore, 55-33 Thursday night in their opening round game of the Jim Clarke Classic at Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando. As sluggish as the Lions were at the outset, they still managed to take and early 6-0 lead. However, the tepid shooting of the first quarter turned downright cold as the host Hornets closed the period on a 9-3 run to knot the game at 9-9 heading into the second quarter. Hebron opened the second quarter with a 15-6 run taking a 24-15 lead with 3:45 to go in the half. Bishop Moore would not go away however closing the gap to just 29-24 at halftime. Adjustments were made in the locker room and the Lions’ defensive changes confused Bishop Moore allowing Hebron to own the third period. The Lions scored the first 12 points of the third quarter opening a 41-24 lead before Bishop Moore scored its first points of the second half. Hebron outscored the Hornets 14-7 in the fourth to seal the 22-point victory. Nicole Azar was Hebron’s leading scorer putting up 17 points to go with four assists and three steals. Jessie Parish had a solid night scoring 14 points while pulling down seven rebounds and swiping three steals. Malia Fisher had nine points, and team highs in rebounds, assists and blocked shots with 15, six and four respectively. Carly Heidger added nine points for the Lions who improve to 13-0 on the season. Hebron will next face Lake Brantley from nearby Altamonte Springs, FL in the semifinals. Tipoff is 3:00 PM tomorrow at Bishop Moore.

The defense rests! Second ranked Hebron played its second game of the Coach Mac Classic Friday night and faced undefeated perennial Macon-area power Stratford Academy. Behind a stifling and unrelenting defensive effort, the Lions posted a 75-37 win over sixth ranked Stratford. The teams traded baskets in the early going. With the game tied at 4-4, Hebron full court pressure started taking its toll as Stratford starting turning the ball over. The Lions finished the first quarter on a 17-4 run opening a 21-8 lead. The Lions’ advantage grew to over 20 by halftime. Hebron continued its suffocating defense in the second half focusing its efforts on Stratford’s highly regarded point guard Nadia Reese. Double teams and face guarding often kept Reese pinned at half court unable to penetrate. The Hebron lead grew to over 30 by the end of the third quarter with the fourth period played at just six minutes. Hebron’s defense generated much of its offense as three players scored in double figures. Nicole Azar led the way with 21 points, including five three-pointers, to go with three steals, two rebounds and two assists. Malia Fisher scored 20 points and had five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Carly Heidger had 10 points to go with three boards and two assists. On-court QB Carly Fahey narrowly missed a double double as she had nine points and a team leading 11 assists. She also had seven rebounds and three steals as she earned All Tournament Team honors. Ella Heard added nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc. Jessie Parish posted a team high nine rebounds to go with four points and three assists. The win is Hebron’s fifth over a team ranked in the top 10 in Georgia in its respective classification, and third over a top 10 Class A team. The Lions improve to 12-0 on the year while Stratford suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 8-1. The team will enjoy Christmas with their families and then head to Orlando to participate in the Jim Clarke Classic hosted by Bishop Moore High School. Hebron will face the host Bishop Moore in the first round on Thursday, December 26.

The Lions made a trip to Macon today to participate in a Christmas tournament hosted by First Presbyterian Day. Hebron faced Mt. DeSales in the round-robin event today and came away a 67-7 winner. The entire roster got plenty of playing time in this one. Nicole Azar led the Hebron scoring effort with 19 points to go with four rebounds. Malia Fisher had 12 points and seven rebounds while Carly Heidger put up 11 points and four steals. Carly Fahey chipped in seven points and a team high six assists for the Lady Lions who improve to 11-0 on the year. Mt. DeSales falls to 6-4. No 2 ranked Hebron will next face seventh raked Stratford (8-0). Tipoff is 4:00 PM tomorrow at FPD.