JCA bows to Gaston, finishes 25-5
JACKSONVILLE — Katy Miller's drive to the basket with 6:09 to play in the fourth quarter personified perfectly what Jacksonville Christian Academy went through in its 57-41 loss to Gaston in the AHSAA Class 1A Northeast Regional semifinals Tuesday afternoon at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Miller dashed to the basket from the left wing and endured a hard foul as she attempted to score, earning a trip to the free-throw line. She pivoted once and got to the hole on just a few dribbles. As she picked herself off the floor, she walked backed to the free-throw line but couldn't connect on the ensuing attempts from the charity stripe. It was great move, just not quite good enough to finish.
And that was the story of the game for the Thunder who ended their season at an impressive 25-5. "Right now, everyone is hurting," said JCA coach Tommy Miller. "But at the same time, these girls accomplished way more than we could've expected this season." Miller, just a freshman, led all scorers with a team-high 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. Team leader and senior Joy Robinson added 13 points and dished out five assists. Senior Stacey Hurst, the only other scorer for JCA, finished with six points. Gaston will face undefeated and second-ranked Spring Garden (33-0) in the Class 1A regional final Friday at 12:20 p.m. The Lady Panthers (33-0) defeated Ragland 72-42 in the other Class 1A semifinal to advance. A pair of free throws by Hurst tied the game at 39 with 5:51 remaining. Morgan Beaird responded with a 3-pointer — one of seven on the night for Gaston — on the next possession and Jessica Wilburn added another with 4:34 left to put the Lady 'Dawgs up 45-39 as part of a 10-0 run. The Thunder wouldn't muster any points until Miller hit two free throws to pull JCA within eight at 49-41, but the damage was already done. "I really think in all honesty, that the game became very physical," said Tommy Miller, whose team shot just 19 percent from the field in the second half. "We have and old-school approach and when the game becomes physical, that's not to our liking or strength. Coming back didn't take too much out of us. We're in pretty decent shape. Our shots just didn't fall." Wilburn led Gaston with 20 points. Chrissy Watts added 19. |
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