It was a tough start to the season for Chilton County High School’s girls basketball team following a 53-40 home loss to Shelby County on Tuesday.

“We went through some growing pains tonight,” Chilton County head coach Robert Bradford said. “You could tell that we’re only a couple weeks into practice.”

The Tigers went on a 7-3 scoring run to end the third quarter and grabbed a 35-32 lead with one quarter to play.

However, the fourth quarter was not as kind and the offense suddenly began to sputter.

“Every chance that we had to blow the game open early, they [Shelby County] were able to find a way to get back in it,” Bradford said.

Shelby County outscored the Tigers 21-5 in the final quarter, as Chilton County’s shots continued to rim out.

“We’re a much improved shooting team,” Bradford said. “Tonight there was just a little bit of jitters on top of maybe some dead legs, which meant shots didn’t go in that normally would.”

Lexis Blackmon drilled a three-pointer for the Tigers’ first points of the season and Sommer Richardson drove the baseline for a layup to help give Chilton County a 7-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Chilton County continued to find success driving the basketball as newcomers Jasmine Martin and Adi Argent led the way with nine points each.

“It’s kind of unique because we have six girls that have played together for three years, but then there’s another five that have never played together,” Bradford said.

Seniors Salena Stoneback, Malika Lykes and Kaley Lucas made their presence known on the boards, as the Tigers controlled the rebounding battle.

“We definitely had the height advantage,” Bradford said. “Rebounding and playing defense have been our strengths the last couple of years.”