By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
JACKSONVILLE – The Cherokee County Lady Warriors learned from last basketball season’s Northeast Regional semifinal game against Plainview.
In that game, they had a nightmarish first half, scoring just four points on a 1-for-18 shooting performance to trail by 23 at the break, before making a game of it late in the second half.
Flash forward to Monday evening’s regional final game at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Lady Warriors scored two early baskets by senior post player Deannia Starr and built an eight-point first-quarter advantage.
But the top-ranked Lady Bears clawed their way back in the game near the end of the end of the quarter on a 3-pointer by Miley Dukes to cut their deficit to four. Plainview then took the lead on back-to-back treys early in the second by Sawyer Kate Hulgan and Jaxson Bruce and didn’t look back from there in a 55-50 victory.
It was Plainview’s 18th consecutive win in a row. The Lady Bears (33-2) head back to Birmingham where they will face the winner of Tuesday’s South Regional final between Jackson and Geneva.
Plainview also snapped third-ranked Cherokee County’s 24-game winning streak. The Lady Warriors finished this season at 31-3.
“This year, we got off to a strong start (against Plainview),” Cherokee County head coach Richard Barton said. “Dee (Deannia Starr) goes down and hits that first basket. I think one of the things that drives us the most is if we can see that first look go in, it really gets us fired up. That happened. We were able to get out to a little bit of a lead, but we knew they’re a good basketball team. They were going to be consistent and stay in it.”
“With me, when I see the first shot go in, I know that I’ll have a good game,” said Starr, who posted 13 points,13 rebounds, three blocks, and an assist for the Lady Warriors. “It just showed me that I can score on them. It just helped boost my confidence.”
But forcing 24 Lady Warrior turnovers and connecting on six treys in the game boosted the Lady Bears’ confidence even more. They turned a 15-11 first-quarter deficit to a 26-23 lead at halftime and a 35-31 edge after three quarters.
“It’s hard to win basketball games against a good team like that when you have 24 turnovers,” Barton said. “That’s one of the things we preached all season. You have to value your possessions. Every single one matters. If you don’t take care of it, you’re giving them another opportunity to score.”
The Lady Warrior turnovers played right into Plainview’s style of play.
“We’re a pressing team, and we play fast,” Plainview coach Luke Griggs said. “We like having fun. We like getting up and down and shooting a bunch of threes and guard people full court. They did a great job with it. We had to get out of it a couple of times to get our legs back, but then jump back in it. Kudos to them. To me, it’s just fun basketball. That’s why we play that way. It gives us a little advantage.”
Hulgan led all scorers with 25 points, including a pair of treys. She also grabbed five rebounds, had two assists, and a block to earn the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor.
“They have a really elite player (in Hulgan),” Barton said. “Hats off to them. They were ready to play. They turned us over in some key moments and made some plays that we didn’t, that we weren’t ready to make. Hats off to Coach Griggs for having those girls ready to play. Good luck to them.”
Bruce added nine points, four boards and three assists for Plainview. Dukes and Taegan Whitmire both netted six points. AnnaLee Shrader finished with five points.
Bruce and Shrader joined Hulgan from Plainview on the all-tournament team.
Ellisan Givens led Cherokee County with 16 points and eight rebounds. Nevaeh Gaidurgis contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Taniya Fife came off the bench and finished with seven points.
Givens, Gaidurgis, and Starr represented Cherokee County on the all-tournament team.
The game marked the end of the basketball careers for eight Lady Warrior seniors. They guided the team to its third straight regional appearance and second Elite 8 in the past three seasons.
Several of those Lady Warriors also helped the Lady Warrior volleyball to a 51-9 season which included its first 4A state title last fall.
They’ve represented us well. It’s not going to be the same without them,” Barton said. “They’ve built our program to a standard now that the girls behind them know what the expectations are and what it looks like to come in every single day and work and grind and push each other to the level it takes to be able to play in a game like this.”
“My mom said after we won the Sweet 16 game, she said everything from here on is adding on,” Givens said. “Whatever the outcome is, you’ve had a great season. I’m just proud we played them as tight as we did. We made them sweat a little bit. I’m definitely proud of that and proud of our whole season. It’s been a blessing.”
Added Gaidurgis: “I’m really going to miss these girls and the relationships I’ve had with them since we were in third grade. This has been such a great season, with 31 wins. I feel like this team played its hardest.”
