NASHVILLE – Add prognostication to the list of Chadarryl Clay’s talents. Despite the fact that GPS had lost some momentum as the second quarter came to a close, Clay made a prediction to her teammates that they would lead by 20 shortly.
Sure enough, the top-ranked Bruisers scored the first six points of the second half to regain control and eventually led by as much as 20 on their way to a 61-45 victory over St. Benedict in the Division II-AA state basketball semifinals.
“I just felt like we were about 20 points better than them after seeing them in the first half,” said Clay, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. “There were times in the first half when it felt like we were about to break the game open but we would let them get back into it.
The Bruisers (22-1) will try for its first state championship since 2000 today against Briarcrest Christian (24-5) at 4 p.m. EST.
GPS 61, ST. BENEDICT 45St. Benedict 11 9 8 17 – 45GPS 21 8 10 22 – 61St. Benedict (45) – Symone Daniels 10, Luckett 7, Eckel 9, Williams 2, Magnifico 8, Siano 4, Cianciolo 3, Chadwick, Miller, Blakey 2.GPS (61) – Busby 9, Perry 7, Chadarryl Clay 18, Caldwell 8, Sharrock 4, Morgan, Kemp 8, Farris 7, Jackson, Fernandez, Spears, Crownover, Bandy.3-point goals: St. Benedict 2 (Luckett, Cianciolo); GPS 4 (Clay, Caldwell, Kemp, Farris). Records: GPS 22-1; St. Benedict 23-7.
Because it had earned an early-round bye, GPS was playing just its second game in two weeks but scored the game’s first seven points and built a double-digit lead by late in the first quarter. St. Benedict scored four quick points to close within seven, and GPS’s lead was nine at halftime.
“We were pretty tight early on,” Bruisers coach Susan Crownover said. “We would build a good lead and then turn it over and let them get some momentum. But we came out a lot more aggressive to start the second half.
“There was a stretch there where our Miss Basketball (Clay) just took over.”
Clay either scored or had an assist leading to eight of GPS’s first 12 points of the second half, and she scored seven straight during one stretch early in the fourth quarter. Consecutive 3-pointers by Brianna Farris, Tory Kemp and Clay helped build the advantage to 20 early in the fourth, and despite making just 3 of 10 free throws at one point of the second half and turning the ball over 20 times, GPS claimed its 14th straight win.
“To shoot as bad as we did at the free-throw line and have that many turnovers but still win, nobody said you have to win pretty every game,” Crownover said.