Danville overcomes Winfield in OT

By Staff
Todd Thompson
Hartselle Enquirer
DANVILLE - Kayloni Cross provided a spark for her Danville teammates Saturday afternoon in the Class 3A, Area 11 championship against Winfield.
Morgan Doherty just closed the door on all of Winfield’s championship hopes with a pair of critical jumpers in the opening minutes of overtime as Danville came away with a 66-59 victory in a battle between twin brothers Paul Wilson and Joseph Wilson.
Watching a 17-point lead disappear in the second half of the championship was almost too much for Danville head coach Paul Wilson.
Winfield went on a 35-22 tear over the final 16 minutes of regulation and appeared on the verge of knocking off the third-ranked Lady Hawks on the road.
The win was the fifth for Wilson over his twin brother in seven meetings.
Danville will host either West Morgan or Lauderdale County in the sub-regional Thursday night.
Winfield closed to within one in the final two minutes of play with a 3-pointer by Garrison, but Cross answered with a 3-pointer of her own to give Danville a 53-49 advantage with 1:39 left in regulation.
Carthage answered with another bucket with 1:03 remaining and Hynde drilled a 3-pointer to put Winfield in front 54-53 with just 15 seconds left.
Winfield’s Brooke Beasley hit the second of two free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining in the game for a 55-53 lead.
And suddenly, Danville found itself fighting for its life.
Cross kept the Lady Hawks’ title hopes alive with a clutch 19-foot jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Doherty hit two straight buckets for the first points of the overtime period to give Danville a 59-55 lead - an advantage they would not relinquish again.
Cross scored 13 of her game-high 16 points in the second half to help Danville overcome a poor shooting performance from the free throw line.
The Lady Hawks made just 13 of 26 free throws in the win, including a 7-for-14 stretch in overtime.
Sherilyn Carthage scored 16 points to pace Winfield, while Breanna Hynde added 15 points.
Chalise Garrison added 10 points.
Danville made nine of 14 free throws in the final minute of overtime.
Danville had little problem taking advantage of the Lady Pirates in the first half. The Lady Hawks used a pair of 3-pointers from both McClung and Sarah Terry to open up a 33-20 lead at the half.
Winfield struggled offensively in the second quarter, finishing with just seven points.
Danville 100, Carbon Hill 25
Danville’s Sarah Terry led all scorers with 22 points, while Ashley Nance and Kayloni Cross added 19 and 18 points respectively. Hannah McClung chipped in 11.