The Beaufort Academy girls saw their spirited state tournament run end Thursday night, as their furious fourth-quarter fally came up just short in a 50-49 loss to Palmetto Christian in the SCISA 2A semifinals.
Mike’Ala Washington dropped 18 points and Tahleea Heyward followed her with 15 in a game that saw wild momentum swings.
The Eagles came out of the gate quick grabbing an 11-2 lead as Washington scored seven of the Eagles’ first 11 points.
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PCA then turned it on, going on a 10-0 run and taking a 12-11 lead, before BA scored five straight to take a 16-12 lead to end the first frame.
BA’s run continued into the second quarter, as they pushed the lead to 22-11. PCA came back with another run, reeling off 14 straight points to take a 26-22 lead. The rest of the quarter went a bit more back and forth with Palmetto Christian taking a 30-26 lead into halftime.
Palmetto Christian broke it open in the third, holding BA to only four points while PCA put up 17 to lead 47-30. After a Yannah Seaberry 3-pointer, PCA seemed to be rolling, but Heyward answered back immediately with a 3 to start the Eagles on a 17-0 run.
Some last-second clutch defense from PCA prevented the Eagles from finishing the comeback. Washington hit a bucket to bring BA to within one point, but the score came too late and the comeback bid and potential All-Lowco state title game fell from their grasp.
Beaufort Academy finishes the season with a 14-9 mark.
Palmetto Christian will face two-time defending champion Hilton Head Christian Academy in the title game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sumter Civic Center. The game will be broadcast live on SCISATV.net.
By Eric Ellison
