Isabella’s postseason run came to an end following a 55-23 loss to Westminster-Oak Mountain in the class 1A regional semifinals in Montgomery on Feb. 15.

The Mustangs rely heavily on their full-court pressure defense to force turnovers and create scoring opportunities.

However, the full-court press can only be properly set up after scoring, which did not come easy for Isabella.

“It wasn’t like they were turning us over or anything,” Isabella head coach Jared Day said. “We just couldn’t make a shot.”

The Mustangs went 4-of-20 from the field in the first half and trailed 36-10 at halftime.

The only offense in the first half came from a pair of baskets from Kiara Ford and three-pointers from Lexi Owens and Carmelina Fjeldstad.

Top scorer Synia Chattman was held in check by the Westminster defense for most of the game and did not score until the fourth quarter.

Ford led the team with nine points, while Chattman finished the game well below her season average with eight points.

Isabella outscored Westminster 12-9 in the final quarter, but the game was out of reach at that point.

The game was played at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, which has a capacity of 7,400 and is the home of Alabama State University basketball.

Playing on the big stage was something new for the Isabella players who had never advanced past the sub-regionals. On the other side of the court the bright lights were nothing new for Westminster after losing in the final four a year ago.

“Walking out on that floor is different than playing here [at Isabella],” Day said. “There was some nervousness that got us to start with, but it was a good experience for them.”