By LARRY HYPES
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
RICHLANDS, Va. — Sweet 16.
Brittany Allen ‘s 16th point, which came on a free throw with 3 seconds remaining in the game, was the 1,569th of her illustrious career — breaking a record that had stood for 30 years — as Richlands held off determined Tazewell 57-50 in ladies action Tuesday night at Richlands Middle School.
Allen, who finished with 17 points, teamed with sharp-shooting freshman Olivia Harmon to lead the Lady Blues (6-4).
Tazewell (7-7) fell behind early and rallied to pull within one, 48-47, on Gracey Cline’s trey with 2:05 to go. The Lady Blues, playing their fourth game in five days, nailed nine consecutive pressure free throws and pulled away at the end.
“It (breaking the school record feels great,” beamed Allen, who was also congratulated via telephone by former record holder Sheryl Absher.
“Allen, who will play next year at Radford University, battled back tears as the big crowd from both teams cheered the historic achievement.
“I was happy to get those points but winning the game is the big thing,” noted the star point guard. “My teammates really stepped up when they had to all night. I am so proud to be part of this team. Olivia (Harmon) had a great game and she really kept us going. “
Laney Rinehart’s three-pointer pushed Richlands ahead 8-1 with four minutes gone in the first stanza and Allen got a bucket and free throw as the Blues went up 11-4. Ally Lee responded with a trey and free throw for Tazewell, though, as the Bulldogs crept to within four.
Harmon’s downtown display — she finished with five treys and 20 points — powered Richlands in the opening half. Kaley Holloway, playing her strongest game of the year for the Lady Dogs, was nearly as effective and her inside scoring kept Tazewell close as the halftime score was 23-20 Blues.
Richlands outscored the Lady Bulldogs by four points in a see-saw second half to grab the win.
Cline popped a three-pointer to give Tazewell its first lead, at 25-24, with 6:50 to go in the third period, and Whitney Saunders’ two free throws made it 27-24 before Harmon netted a lay-up and drilled another three, for five consecutive points at the 4:40 mark, and Richlands never trailed again.
In the final stanza, Holloway’s putback cut the margin to 38-36 but the Blues were able to overcome.
“This is always a competitive game between two tough teams,” said Richlands coach Dennis Palmer. “You expect it to go right down to the wire. Brittany did a great job but she had a lot of help. She is a heck of player and a hard worker who makes the players around her better.”
Saunders fouled out in the closing seconds with 13 points to lead Tazewell. Holloway poured in 11 points and hauled down 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs, as Ally Lee added 9 and Cline 8.
“I wanted to win this game so much,” Holloway said. “We played our hearts out and we’ll meet again.”
Tazewell coach Jason Southworth noted, “I’m proud of my team. They all played hard. We missed some inside shots and struggled at the free throw line but we did a lot of things right, too. We look forward to getting another chance later in the season.”
The Lady Dogs finished just 6-for-20 at the stripe.
Tazewell hosts Abingdon Thursday while Richlands is slated to entertain Bluefield tonight.

At Richlands Middle School
TAZEWELL (7-6)
Kaley Holloway 11, Gracey Cline 8, Ally Lee 9, Whitney Saunders 13, Haley Christian 6, Autumn Hash 5.
RICHLANDS (5-4)
Montana Hearl 4, Laney Rinehart 7, Brittany Allen 17, Lauren Sword 2, Olivia Harmon 20, Paxton Casey 4, Sarah Compton 3.
Tazewell.............................8 12 14 16 — 50
Richlands .........................11 9 15 22 — 57
Three-point goals: R, 7 (Harmon 5, Allen 1, Rinehart 1). TZ, 4 (Cline 2, Lee-2), Fouled out: R (Compton). T (Saunders). ʚ