After two years of frustration, the Arts & Sciences girls’ basketball team left nothing to chance Saturday night.
The Lady Patriots dominated from start to finish, scoring the game’s first 10 points, building a double-digit lead with more than a minute remaining in the first quarter and rolling to a 69-33 Class A state sectional victory over Red Boiling Springs.
The Lady Patriots, who were making their third straight sectional appearance at home, never allowed the lead to dip below 12 after the first quarter, and their combination of quickness and end-to-end defensive pressure helped them pull away by as much as 40. CSAS will be making its first appearance in the girls’ state tournament and will find out who its first-round opponent is this afternoon when the TSSAA holds its drawing.
“To get so close to making it to the state tournament the last couple of years just makes this more special for us seniors,” said Chariah Gordon, who led all scorers with 19 points, including two 3-point baskets. “Look at the score. Wow. We wanted to come out and hit them hard with defense and just keep the pressure up the whole game.
“Thinking about how we felt after losing the last couple of years made sure we never slacked off the whole game.”
Gordon, along with fellow senior starters Alexis Anderson combined to outscore the Lady Bulldogs by themselves. Anderson and Kellly scored 13 each.
CSAS’s pressure created 14 steals, and through three quarters Red Boiling Springs had made just eight field goals. The Lady Patriots, who are unranked in the state poll, have beaten every Class A opponent by double figures this season, and their average margin against teams in their class is more than 40 points.
“We have so much experience,” CSAS coach Clay Martin said. “We’ve been here before and gotten blown out two years ago and were in a close game last year, so we’ve gotten closer to getting this every year. To get to the state tournament with this group that I started with is pretty special.
“We’ve been playing really well lately, and I had heard from another coach who had played them that the press would give them trouble. I told our kids that they weren’t as fast as us, so just get after them.”