ARLEY – Upset alert was intact Tuesday night with the St. Bernard Lady Saints on the verge of stunning the No. 1 seed Meek Lady Tigers in the semifinals of the Class 1A, Area 11 Tournament.
A three-pointer from Ivy Edge with less than a minute remaining had the visitors ahead. If they could survive the final seconds, St. Bernard would clinch its biggest victory of the season and gain a berth to the AHSAA Sub-Regional round.
But Meek was not going to see the season end in a semifinal loss on its floor. They took advantage of missed free throws by the Lady Saints and claimed a 32-31 victory when Sarah Mauldin sank a 3-pointer from a difficult angle on the right baseline with three seconds remaining.
Free throws were the difference in who won and who didn’t. Meek was 16 of 19 for 84 percent with half of its scoring coming from the stripe. St. Bernard shot just 20 percent, three of 15, and missed eight attempts in the fourth quarter, six in the final minute.
Foul trouble spelled problems for St. Bernard with Meek needing free throw accuracy to overcome an issue in getting field goals to connect.
The Lady Tigers scored their nine points from the foul line in the second quarter to overcome a 13-10 deficit to St. Bernard and lead 19-17 at the half.
Jaden Edge scored twice from 3-point land in the early moments for the Lady Saints, but had to sit for much of the second period after getting her second personal foul.
Trouble loomed large for Zana Wilson, the Lady Saints’ main weapon. She got her third foul right before the half and spent the third quarter on the sideline as they were able to keep it close, trailing 23-21.
Wilson returned to the game and gave St. Bernard a 24-23 lead on a three-ball with 6:12 showing in the fourth. A steal and layup from Edge made it 28-27 St. Bernard at 1:24 as the game became a see-saw affair.
But Alli Messick was charged with her fifth foul at 1:08 and Mauldin hit two from the line to send Meek back on top 29-28.
Then it was Ivy Edge to adjust a 3-point field goal, getting it to go through with 55 seconds remaining, and the Lady Saints grabbed the advantage at 31-29.
It would stay that way as Wilson, Jaden Edge and Anna Meyers could not knock down free throws. Meyers missed two with 12 seconds left as Meek rebounded, went downcourt and connected on the baseline three by Mauldin to regain the advantage in what became a thriller.
A last second shot from the Lady Saints was ruled late with Meek moving on to the championship and St. Bernard’s season coming to an end with a hard fought confrontation.
Wilson had 12 for the Lady Saints while Jaden Edge scored 10, Messick four, Ivy Edge three and Meyers two.
Morgan Hudson’s 11 topped the Meek attack followed by Mauldin with nine.
Meek faces Brilliant in the finals Friday at 6 p.m. Brilliant wiped out an eight-point fourth quarter deficit to Lynn, getting by the Lady Bears 39-38 when Brittany Farley scored the go ahead field goal with 15 seconds remaining.
The last shot of the contest, an attempt from Lynn’s Kayla Pruitt, was blocked in the paint by Brilliant’s Holly Prescott as time ran out. Pruitt led the Lady Bears in the loss with 23 points.
