The best season in recent memory for Whale Branch girls basketball ended in heartbreak Monday, as third-ranked Latta escaped with a 48-47 win over the visiting Warriors in the third round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Latta’s Moya McDuffie hit the game-winner with five seconds left to send the Vikings to the Lower State final.
The Warriors led 22-17 at halftime after holding Latta to two points in the second quarter, and they extended the advantage to 33-26 by the end of the third period. The Vikings came alive in the fourth quarter, though, outscoring Whale Branch 22-14.
Erin Rivers scored 16 points, Zhani Thompson added 12, Kynew Barnwell had nine, and Jazmin Diaz contributed eight to lead the Warriors. Latta’s Riana Green scored eight of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Whale Branch (20-8) matched the program record for wins just two seasons after going 1-17.