By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Sand Rock sophomore guard Hadlie Weaver said she had a talk with her dad Wednesday night about the Lady Wildcats’ basketball game at Cherokee County on Thursday. She said he motivated her to make a difference.
Whatever he said must have worked.
Weaver sank the game-tying 3-pointer with 29 seconds to go in regulation, then she hit the go-ahead basket with 42.5 seconds to go in overtime to help the Lady Wildcats squeak out a 53-52 victory in a battle of top-five teams.
“I told myself I was going in and either getting fouled and hitting my free throws or making the big shot,” Weaver said. “I told myself to calm down, you’re going to make it. You’ve done this before.”
Weaver finished with eight points, but she wasn’t the only Lady Wildcat to step up.
Molly Grace Lay got Class 2A, No. 3 Sand Rock (7-2) going early. Lay sank two of her three 3-pointers in the first quarter, part of a 12-0 run in the game’s first three minutes. Lay led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points.
Kaylee Burns posted 14 points and 14 rebounds. Maddie Clanton also had a double-double with 12 points and 14 boards.
“I felt like we came out to play tonight. That’s what I’ve been waiting on,” Sand Rock coach Lisa Bates said. “I knew these girls could play like that. I don’t think anybody thought we had a chance here tonight because Centre is a good team, but I felt like our girls thought we did. It was amazing to see them finally come together. I feel like tonight is a good turning point for us playing together and people stepping up to make some big plays when it mattered.”
But Class 4A, No. 4 Cherokee County (7-2) didn’t go away. The Lady Warriors closed out the first quarter on a 12-4 run to cut their deficit to 16-12 after one.
Sand Rock maintained a five-point edge at 30-25 at halftime thanks to a Weaver 3-pointer with 1:09 to go before intermission, but the Lady Warriors cut into Sand Rock’s advantage even further at the end of the third quarter, trailing by a single point at 39-38.
In the early stages of the fourth quarter, it looked as if Cherokee County might pull away. The Lady Warriors surged out in front 48-43 on a basket by Nevaeh Gaidurgis with 4:02 to go in regulation, but a basket and free throw by Clanton pulled Sand Rock within a basket at 48-46.
A free throw by the Lady Warriors’ Mattie Green with 42.9 seconds remaining extended Cherokee County’s lead to 49-46 to set the stage for Weaver’s game-tying trey.
The Lady Warriors had one last shot to win at the end of regulation, but Ellisan Givens’ pull-up jumper clanked off the rim to force overtime.
Both teams exchanged a made free throw to begin the extra session to tie the game at 50 before Weaver’s basket with 42.5 seconds to go broke the tie.
Lay hit the back end of two free throws with 15.9 seconds remaining to put Sand Rock up three at 53-50. A 3-pointer by the Lady Warriors’ Brooklynn Bruce rimmed out, which was rebounded by Givens and put back for a basket in the closing seconds for the final.
Gaidurgis led the Lady Warriors with 12 points. Givens and Deannia Starr both rang for nine points. Bruce managed eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Marie Crane also finished with eight points.
“There were some times in the game where we made some runs, but they got back into it because we had a play here or there where we either got out-hustled or didn’t put a body on someone,” Cherokee County coach Richard Barton said. “They’d go up and get a big board and put it in. I think they did a good job of putting us in some matchups that were probably a little more favorable on their side. We were trying to do the same thing, but down the stretch, our decision making with the ball on the offensive end and some lack of communication on defense on some switches didn’t go our way.”
Sand Rock plays at Gaston on Friday. Cherokee County is at Piedmont.
