Chelsea’s Caroline Brown was not about to let her early fourth-period go-ahead basket go to waste.
Following a 3-pointer from Sparkman’s Hannah Horton, giving the Senators their first lead of the game, and a teammate’s turnover, Brown forced her own turnover with a steal and raced to the other end for another go-ahead bucket plus a foul shot.
“We were losing our momentum a little bit,” Brown said. “We needed a boost in confidence. I thought it was a charge, but when they said ‘and-1,’ I was freaking out and everyone was freaking out. It really gave us some momentum.”
Brown’s old-fashioned 3-point play ignited a shutout run as the eighth-ranked Hornets earned a 40-28 victory over No. 2 Sparkman in Tuesday’s Class 7A Northeast Regional girls semifinal at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“We responded,” Chelsea coach Jason Harlow said. “Caroline got the and-1 and we got some momentum there. More importantly, we played for an area championship the other night and let one get away. We had a lead in the fourth quarter and Hewitt beat us. That’s something we talked about in the locker room at halftime.”
Chelsea (25-5) jumped out to 4-0 lead before the Senators scored their only points of the opening quarter, a 3-pointer from Horton, and closed out the period with a 7-0 run to take an 8-point lead into the second period.
Sparkman had a multitude of opportunities in the second quarter to cut into the deficit further, but managed only an 8-7 edge after going 4-for-20 overall and 0-for-6 from 3-point range.
The Hornets got back on the offensive as Haley Trotter dropped in a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second half, but it was quickly answered on the other end on a 3 from Abethany James. Chelsea jumped back ahead on a 6-0 run, building a 23-17 lead. The Senators closed out the period with a 6-2 run to trim the lead to two points entering the final quarter.
Sparkman (21-7) managed to take the lead, 28-27, on a 3-pointer from Horton almost midway through the fourth period, but did not score the remainder of the game.
Brown scored on the ensuing possession after the Senators took the advantage and was fouled in the process for an and-1 opportunity. Following Brown’s conversion at the line, Trotter went on a personal 6-0 streak as the Hornets closed out on a 13-0 run to end the game.
Did you know? Chelsea returns to the regional final after a one-year absence and looks to reach the state tournament for the second time in program history. Sparkman falls short of its 20th regional final appearance.
By the numbers: The Hornets shot 53.8 percent overall and owned a plus-9 edge in rebounding and plus-8 advantage in the paint. Sparkman was only 22.2 percent from the field but forced 18 turnovers that resulted in 19 points.
Stat sheet: Chelsea – Trotter produced a double-double with both a game-high 19 points and 18 rebounds, adding 6 blocks as well. Brown finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, followed by Olivia Pryor with 3 points and 7 rebounds. Sadie Schwallie added 4 points and 2 rebounds. Sparkman – Horton led the Senators with 9 points, followed by Jurnee Moore with 8 points. James had 5 points and 4 rebounds.
Coachspeak: “We’re a team based off of defense. The team that defended better would end up winning. We wanted to play Chelsea basketball, not Sparkman basketball. We liked where we would be in the second half with that crowd behind us.” – Chelsea’s Jason Harlow
“We got outplayed. We got out-coached. We got out-hustled. They (Chelsea) did an outstanding job and had a great game plan.” – Sparkman’s Jarvis Wilson
They said it: “Playoff (basketball) is a different type of basketball. Last year, I was here, a young player, but being here you know what to expect going out there.” – Madeline Epperson
“I had to step up this year knowing that this is a different atmosphere and it’s a bigger court than all the others we’ve played on.” – Haley Trotter
What’s next? Chelsea advances to face No. 5 Hewitt-Trussville in Tuesday’s Northeast Regional final at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum. Hewitt beat Chelsea 46-41 on Feb. 7.