VALLEY — The Valley girls basketball team pulled away in the second half of a 54-24 victory over Tallassee to earn its first area win of the season.

“A win’s a win, I don’t care how you get it,” Valley girls head basketball coach George Grimes said. “I don’t care if it’s by one or 40, it’s a win. That was the biggest thing, to start off 1-0 in the area.”

The Rams carried a 40-17 lead into the third quarter before pressing again on defense once the lead was around 20 points in the fourth quarter.

“In the third quarter we got too sluggish,” Grimes said. “That was partly my fault, I know we have to play fast. It’s just the nature of what we do. We have to play fast. We can’t play slow. If we’re playing slow, then we’re in trouble. We have to play fast.”

To accommodate for Valley’s uptempo pace, Grimes used the hockey substitution method throughout the second half. After the game, he cited that the Rams have two more games to play before the end of this week, including hosting rival Lanett at home on Friday night. 

“I’m trying to keep everyone’s legs as fresh as possible without ruining the rhythm of the game,” Grimes said.

Ana Magby led the Rams with 23 points, Kwame Cofield had 11 points and Star Core added 10 points. Jayla Lancaster, Arteria Florence, Jasmine Frasier and Valencia Bennett also got on the board for the Rams. Emerald Floyd and Anaiya Hatchett were also key players in the win, according to Grimes.

“The win gives them some confidence,” he said. “A win is always good, especially in area play. We’ll find out what we’re made of Thursday when we play Beauregard.”

The Rams will head on the road to face the Hornets on Thursday.