JACKSON — Freshman guard Kalea Storm has hit some big-time shots for the Lady Bears at many points throughout the season. In Thursday's Region 23 semifinal game against second-seeded Pearl River, she hit — arguably — her biggest.
With only 5.6 seconds to go, Storm nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer giving No. 3 seed Southwest a 47-45 advantage and after one final defensive stand on the other end of the floor, the Lady Bears claimed the victory and the chance to compete in the finals.
"It was definitely a team-won game, I just hit the final shot," Storm said. "They just happen to have left me open and I just took the opportunity and shot it."
After the game, Southwest head coach Brent Harris expressed just how proud he was of his girls, fighting hard and pulling out a win over a very-talented Pearl River team.
"If you could only know the things that we tried to do today, things they figured out defensively, on their own, on the fly, were absolutely fabulous," he said. "That last possession, we had a decent idea of what we wanted to do but it all blew up and Coach (Harris) almost called timeout. When she (Storm) let it go, I felt good about it. I am super proud of them."
The Lady Bears (22-7) fell behind 4-0 almost 3:00 into the contest after both teams showed a few struggles getting their offenses set. But it wasn't long afterward before Southwest began to get into rhythm. Morgan Sullivan broke the ice with a basket before adding a free throw later in the quarter. Bethany Graves and Kara Beth Addison joined the fray while the Lady Bear defense improved as the first quarter wrapped with both teams tied at 7.
After the Lady Wildcats opened the second period with a make to jump ahead, the Lady Bear defense made a big difference keeping Pearl River in check for the next 3:45. Simultaneously, Southwest's offense got into a groove. After Kennedee Shelton splashed in a pair of free throws, a pair of Michaela Payton makes were bookends to a 3-pointer from Addison. When the dust settled, the Lady Bears enjoyed a 9-0 run putting them ahead 16-9.
They closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 25-15 lead into the locker room at the half. The 10-point lead was the largest of the night for the Lady Bears.
In the third quarter, however, Southwest began to lose a bit of steam. Pearl River opened the quarter with a 10-1 run that took up the first 5:30 of play and cut the Lady Bear lead down to one at 26-25. Despite this, the Lady Bears held on and maintained the lead for the rest of the period, taking a 32-29 advantage into the final 10:00 of play.
Pearl River grabbed the lead early in the fourth before two Shelton free throws put Southwest ahead once again at 34-33. The Lady Wildcats jumped back on top and increased their lead to three, but the Lady Bears kept pace.
A 3-pointer with 5:52, once again put Southwest down by four at 42-38, the largest deficit of the night for the Lady Bears.
Immediately afterward, a 6-0 run consisting of back-to-back makes from Shelton followed by a basket form Addison gave the Lady Bears a 44-42 advantage. The Lady Wildcats ended the run with a make once again tying the game, this time at 44.
After Pearl River converted on a free throw to take a one-point lead with 1:15 to go, the Lady Bears made a big defensive stop to regain possession with just under :20 to play setting up Storm's eventual game-winner.
Afterward, Harris had high praise for the attitude for his team and how they have executed the plan this season.
"It has been a long year, and I am proud of them," he said. "Not one time have they been sour about being here during Spring Break. For 18–19-year-olds, that is miraculous. We have stayed the course. We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. We are finding ways to win games."
Shelton led the Lady Bears with 16 points while Addison finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.
With the win, the Lady Bears move on to the finals against No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast, Friday at 5 p.m. at Kroger Gymnasium on the campus of Tougaloo College in Jackson.
