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The Beulah girls basketball team defeated Dadeville 47-32 on Thursday night, improving its record to 7-10.

The win also improved their area record to 6-0, clinching the regular-season area title, which allows the Bobcats to host the area tournament.

“This is special,” Beulah head coach Sabrina Milligan said. “These girls are working hard, listening and being coachable. To be able to host the area, that’s huge. You have the same routine. I’m very proud of the whole team.”

The Bobcats started the game fast, scoring on five of their first seven opportunities.

As they have for most of the season, the Bobcats used a mix of the 1-2-2 and 2-3 zones to stifle the opposing offenses. The zones were able to force bad shots and passes, which they were able to turn into fast-break opportunities.

“Defense is all about effort. I’m old school, everybody can play defense,” Milligan said. “You can learn to play defense and then work to develop your skills. If you want to play defense, it’s all inside. It’s about how much heart you have that you’re willing to move your feet and stay in front of someone.”

At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats had built an 11-point lead.

The second quarter followed the same formula. The Bobcats were able to take missed shots, sometimes even made ones, right down the court for layup opportunities.

“When they were picking us up in man, they had all the defenders on one side, so I said ‘let’s take advantage of that,’” Milligan said. “Savanna [Clemments] had some great passes tonight.”

The Bobcats took a 13-point lead into the half and grew it to 17 points in the third quarter. Four different Bobcats scored in the quarter, as three of them made a shot from the floor, while sophomore forward Katie Morris added two points from the foul line.

The Bobcats were able to empty their bench with about four minutes left in the game. This is when Dadeville made a run to cut the lead down to as little as 12, but the Bobcats’ lead proved too much for the Tigers to handle.

Freshman guard Brandy Phillips led the Bobcats with 15 points. Sophomore forward Grace Portis was second on the team with six points. Overall, nine Bobcats scored, with five making multiple shots. 

The Bobcats will return to action on Friday when they host the Valley Rams. This will be a rematch from Jan. 4 when the Rams defeated the Bobcats by 14 at Valley High School.