Spring Valley’s Xylina McDaniel tries to block the shot of Goose Creek’s Aleighsa Welch.
Spring Valley’s bid for a second straight girls 4–AAAA State Championship came up short despite a 27–10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Goose Creek Lady Gators took advantage of cold shooting from the Lady Vikings in the second quarter to pull them back into the game and then just kept coming back on Spring Valley in the second half en route to a 64–63 win.
Asia Dozier had one of her best scoring outputs of the postseason with 26 points in the losing effort. Aleighsa Welch led Goose Creek with 36 points.
The Lady Vikings began the game looking like they were going to walk away with the championship. After a 3–2 opening advantage, Spring Valley went on an 11–4 run over the next four minutes to open up a 14–6 lead.
That lead was cut down to eight twice after a bucket from Deandra Wright with just over two minutes left in the quarter. It was after that bucket that Spring Valley turned the heat up on defense not allowing Goose Creek to score for the next two minutes.
Spring Valley’s Shaquita Walker flies through the Gator defense for a layup.
The Lady Vikings took advantage of the Lady Gators’ inability to score by scoring eight straight points beginning with a 3–pointer from Dozier, a bucket from Jocelyn Lawrence, and a bucket plus a foul shot from Savonia Bryan to open up a 24–8 lead.
Ashley Field ended the Spring Valley run with a bucket with just over 30 seconds remaining in the first, but it was answered with a three pointer from Dozier to end the quarter with a 27–10 edge for the Lady Vikings.
The beginning of the second quarter looked like more of the same from Spring Valley. Dozier opened with a bucket and foul shot to extend the lead to 30–10. The lead got as large as 21 following a bucket from Jocelyn Lawrence with less than six minutes left in the half.
That was the last time Spring Valley would score in the quarter.
Cold shooting and stiff defense from Goose Creek shrunk the Spring Valley lead. Two free throws from Ashley Fields and a bucket plus a foul shot from Welch began the shift in momentum from Spring Valley to Goose Creek. Two buckets from Welch and N’dea Bryant and one from Wright cut the Spring Valley lead to 35–30 heading into halftime.
Spring Valley’s Asia Dozier hangs in the air to draw a foul against Goose Creek.
Goose Creek kept the pressure on in the third quarter. Three straight buckets from Welch gave the Lady Gators their first lead of the game at 36–35 with 6:14 to go. A bucket from Dionna Nelson extended the lead to three.
However, the Lady Vikings responded. A bucket from Shaquita Walker and one from Dozier helped the Lady Vikings regain the lead at 39–38.
The lead then changed hands throughout the quarter eight times. Two free throws from Briana Robinson with 1:17 left in the quarter gave Spring Valley a two point lead. However, a pair of free throws from Welch tied the score at 48–48 as the third quarter came to an end.
As the beginning of the fourth quarter played out, it looked as if Spring Valley was ready to take control of the game and claim the championship. Xylina McDaniel began the scoring with a bucket and a foul shot to open up a three–point lead for Spring Valley.
Following a bucket from Welch, Walker made one of the best moves of the entire game. After passing mid court, she dribbled the ball behind her back then put a spin move on a defender and finished with a bucket to extend the lead to three at 53–50. It was the start of an 8–0 run for the Lady Vikings to give them a 59–50 lead with 3:48 left in the game.
It took Goose Creek just over a minute to reel Spring Valley back in.
A bucket and a foul shot from Welch followed by a basket from Bryant fol- lowed up by another bucket from Welch cut the Spring Valley lead to 59–57, with 2:46 left.
Goose Creek tied the score later in the quarter, 63–63 following a bucket from Welch with just 7.8 seconds left. The Lady Vikings had trouble getting the ball in bounds, and after calling one time out, tried to take another one. The only problem was they didn’t have one left which resulted in a technical foul, two free throws for Goose Creek, and the ball.
Welch hit one of the two shots to give the Lady Gators a one point lead, 64–63, with just 5.7 seconds remaining. Dozier tried to connect on a half court shot as time expired, but it fell short giving Goose Creek the win and the 4–AAAA state title.
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