Danville makes first Final Four
Danville and Clements split their four games over the season, but the Lady Hawks won the one that counted.
Danville erased a 12-point second half deficit and then held off Clements in double overtime 54-50 to win the Class 3A Girls Northwest Regional and advance to the Final 4 in Birmingham.
Paul Wilson, head coach of the Lady Hawks, said he was so excited for his team, which is making its first ever appearance in the state final four.
“This is such a special group of girls in a special season,” Wilson said. “We just had to fight and scratch for everything in this game.”
Although tournament MVP Ashley Nance finished the game with 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead all players in both categories, it might have been Lacey Evans who made the biggest shots of the night.
Evans, who is normally a 34 percent free throw shooter, went to the foul line when Danville led 48-47 with 45 seconds left in the second overtime.
“I was kind of worried about it,” Evans said. “It was just about concentration and doing what I’ve done in practice.”
Once that first free throw dropped, Evans was relieved. She not only hit that one, but also made 5 of 6 in the final minute, including a pair with 3.7 seconds on the clock to give Danville a 54-50 lead.
That last free throw ignited a celebration from Wilson and the rest of the team.
After leading by nine at halftime, Lacey Hampton made another 3-pointer for Clements to give the Lady Colts a 12-point lead.
Danville turned to its full-court press. Nance tied the game at 38 on a 3-point play with 3:25 to go in regulation and gave Danville a short-lived lead at 40-38, only to have Deneshia Malone tie it up a minute later. That sent it to overtime.
While Clements missed several free throws down the stretch of the second overtime, Danville made the most of its free shots, as the Lady Hawks pulled away in the final minute.
The Lady Hawks played defending 3A state champion Sumter County at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena.
