By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

The Troup Lady Tigers moved a step close to securing the number three seed for the Region 5-AAAA tournament with a 51-29 road win over Cartersville on Friday.

If Troup wins at Chapel Hill today, it will earn the number three seed, and it host a region-tournament game next week.

Kiya Fulton led Troup on Friday with 16 points, and Amber Gilbert made four 3-pointers and scored 15 points.

Aundracia Riggins made three 3-pointers on the way to a 13-point night.

Troup put it away early, surging to a 17-4 lead after the first quarter, and it led 30-10 at the half and 45-21 through three periods.

In Friday’s boys’ game, it was tied through three quarters, but Cartersville pulled away in the fourth period for a 73-55 victory.

“Our effort was there,” Troup head coach Blake Craft said. “I thought we played hard the entire time. A few things didn’t go our way down the stretch.”

Jarrious Jefferson led Troup with 24 points, Kobe Hudson added 13 points, and Montez Crowe scored eight.

If Troup wins today at Chapel Hill, it will either be the number three or four seed for the region tournament.

Wherever they ended up seeded, both Troup teams will need to win one game to reach the semifinals and qualify for state.