NASHVILLE - Abby Hubert's day didn't get off to the best of starts.
"I didn't think I would even be able to play," she said. "I was so nervous and I was sick to my stomach. But I had a good breakfast at the hotel."
Then Hubert and her Baylor teammates proceeded to feast on St. Benedict, advancing to the TSSAA Division II-AA state championship game with a 68-39 victory Friday. The Lady Red Raiders will play Brentwood Academy tonight at 6:30 EST for the title.
Hubert had the hottest hand for the Lady Raiders, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor on the way to a game-high 16 points. But everyone was hitting for Baylor: The team shot 54.3 percent from the floor (25-of-46) and made seven of its 15 3-point attempts. The Lady Raiders blazed away at 62 percent in the second half.
"When we shoot well, we're tough to beat," Baylor coach John Gibson said. "We usually rely on our defense, but we can score from every spot on the floor."
It was a performance that certainly caught the Eagles flat-footed.
"I didn't see anything on film that indicated they would play like that," said St. Benedict coach Caleb Marcum, whose team was in the final four for the first time in five years. "They had players that had been averaging three or four points a game that were in double digits. But hat's off to Baylor: They played a great game and we didn't."
Miss Basketball finalist Kaleigh Clemons had 13 points and seven assists and JuToreyia Willis had 10 points and eight rebounds in the win. Mya Long also scored 10 points, and Grace Wardenberg came off the bench and added 11.
Baylor led 8-7 before seizing control of the game with a 16-2 run that bridged the first and second quarters.
Nicole Ferris had 14 points to lead St. Benedict, which shot 33.3 percent from the floor (14-of-42) while committing 19 turnovers. Nicole Ungaro added 13 points and six rebounds while Taylor Barnes - a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed with the University of Memphis - had nine points in her final high school game.
"It's really frustrating," Barnes said. "But I'd rather lose with my team than win with anyone else."