Darlington holds on for upset win
The Lady Tigers defeat Calvary Day to advance to the Class A Private Elite Eight.
After a five-hour trip to Savannah followed by 32 minutes of physical basketball, the Darlington Lady Tigers are still alive.
Darlington made a move in the first half and then relied on its free throw shooting down the stretch to pull out a 57-51 win against higher-seeded Calvary Day in the second round of the Class A Private state playoffs Wednesday in Savannah.
“I was just so proud of how we battled tonight,” Darlington coach Tommy Atha said. “We didn’t let down all game, despite it being so physical. We had so many players who stepped up tonight, stayed composed and just kept fighting.”
Senior forward Anna Claire Atha refused to let Wednesday be the last game of her career as she scored 31 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile Caroline Dingler recorded 11 points, seven of which came in the fourth.
The Lady Tigers (23-6) clung to a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter, but coach Atha said Anna Claire’s consistent penetration to the basket kept them ahead.
The Lady Cavaliers (22-5) were still within a possession of Darlington in the final minutes, but the Lady Tigers stayed poised at the line. The team went 13 of 17 from the charity stripe in the fourth, shutting down Calvary Day’s chance at a comeback bid.
“We showed a lot of maturity when it came to the free throw line tonight,” Atha said. “Calvary Day is a great team and they made some runs, but we were able to step up and make the free throws we had to make.”
Darlington struggled to score early on, but its defense helped keep the team tied at six after the first quarter.
The offense began to click a little more in the second quarter as the Lady Tigers took a 23-19 lead at the half.
The Lady Tigers will travel to Gainesville on Tuesday to face Lakeview Academy in the state quarterfinals. The Lady Lions defeated Greenforest 59-55 on Wednesday.