Silverdale Girls Hold On For Region Win Over South Pittsburg

  • Friday, February 24, 2017
  • Jaime Barrett

In order to advance in the Region 3-A girls’ basketball tournament, Silverdale Baptist knew it would have to hold on late against South Pittsburg.


The Lady Seahawks might not have realized, however, that they would be doing so in a literal sense.


With a seven-point lead at the 5:15 mark of the final quarter at home Friday, Silverdale held the ball at midcourt for over a minute.

After two Lady Pirates' 3-pointers helped cut their deficit to three, coach Victor Underwood instructed point guard Emily Harkleroad to stand with the ball again until the clock approached one minute.


After South Pittsburg finally came out to guard, Maddie Caldwell banked in a jumper and the Lady Pirates were held scoreless the rest of the way as Silverdale finished a 49-40 victory and advanced to the region semifinals Monday at Marion County.


“At this point, as long as we come out with the W, that’s all that matters in the end,” Underwood said. “I felt like if they weren’t going to guard us, then running the clock down was the best thing for us. I got a little nervous when they cut it down to three, but fortunately, it worked out for us.”


The District 5-A champion Lady Seahawks were facing a South Pittsburg team that finished fourth in the 6-A tournament, and that they had beaten by 37 points during their season opener. Still, after two early 3s from Harkleroad, Silverdale needed a basket from Abby Woodard just before the first quarter buzzer to break a 9-all tie.


“I was concerned a little bit early on,” Underwood said. “We were coming off a really big win, and I knew South Pitt had improved a lot and it would be a tougher test than the first time we played them early in the year. We had some girls step up and make some big shots tonight, and that ended up being the difference in the game.”


The Lady Seahawks’ struggles continued in the second quarter, as the Lady Pirates focused on shutting down Rachel Sanders inside. Allysa Frame’s basket gave South Pittsburg a 13-11 lead midway through the period, but 3s from Harkleroad and Katie White helped Silverdale pull away to a 21-17 halftime advantage.


“A lot of that struggle was what they were doing defensively,” Underwood said. “They weren’t allowing Rachel a catch and really took her out of the game. We run a lot of stuff through Rachel, but when a team takes her out, we usually have a plan for that. But tonight we were in foul trouble too, so we had a lot of girls out there on the floor who weren’t in their usual spots.”


The Lady Seahawks opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, and Noel Ray connected on three treys in the period as her team led by as much as 14. Three 3s from Lorence Bradford, who finished with a game-high 19 points, helped the Lady Pirates stay in it, and she added two more as her team put together a 7-0 run to start the final period.

 

Bradford’s 3 with three minutes remaining got South Pittsburg within 43-40, but after Caldwell’s key basket, Harkleroad went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 15 seconds to seal the win.


“We had girls step up and make shots, and we got on the offensive glass,” Underwood said. “Maddie had some big buckets there at the end. She did a really good job on the glass and had some crucial baskets in the fourth quarter.


“Noel Ray also hit some big shots for us. She stepped up in a big way. I’ve been telling her for weeks now that we’re going to need her to make shots at some point, and tonight was that night. She did a great job keeping her confidence when shots weren’t falling as much earlier in the year.”


The loss ends the season for South Pittsburg, and leaves Silverdale (21-6) as one of the final four teams remaining in the region. District 5-A runner-up Arts & Sciences also advanced with a 53-40 victory over Lookout Valley on Friday and will play in the semifinals Monday at Marion County.


Winners will advance to Wednesday’s region final, as well as Saturday's Class A state sectional round.


“We’re two wins away from doing something that’s never been done here at Silverdale,” Underwood said. “Our seniors are really focused on that, and really want to get that done. This program has never had a substate game at home.”


(E-mail Jaime Barrett at jaimenbarrett@gmail.com)


Region 3-A at Silverdale Baptist


SILVERDALE BAPTIST 49, SOUTH PITTSBURG 40


South Pittsburg  9  8  13  10  --  40

Silverdale Baptist  11 10  20   8 --  49


South Pittsburg (40) --  Kennemore, Henson, Olivia Cagle 10, Frame 7, Martin, Rector, Lorence Bradford 19, Moore 4.

Silverdale Baptist (49) -- Carter, White 6, Maddie Caldwell 12, Ray 9, Emily Harkleroad 13, Woodard, Marcus, Patrick, Sanders 4.


3-point goals: South Pittsburg 6 (Bradford 4, Cagle 2); Silverdale 8 (Harkleroad 3, Ray 3, White 2).   


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