Lady Patriots pull out overtime thriller
JACKSONVILLE – Kalia Cunningham’s head was spinning as she turned away from the free throw line.
In a tie game with 8.4 seconds left in double overtime, she had just missed the first of a pair of free throws.
“I’m not going to lie, I was so nervous,” the senior guard said. “My heart was beating fast.”
She turned back, drew a deep breath, and toed the line again. This time, she made no mistake, as the ball swished the net.
“I told myself to calm down, take my time, and make it,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham’s go-ahead free throw ultimately lifted the Homewood High School girls basketball team to a 63-62 win over Brewer on Friday, in the Class 6A Northeast Regional Semifinals at Jacksonville State University.
The game was an instant classic. Homewood (25-9) was forced to tie the game in the final minute of the fourth quarter and the first overtime — both on baskets by Zoe Watts — just to extend the game. The first overtime was a battle of attrition. The second turned into a track meet.
“That was a very, very intense game,” said first-year Homewood coach Jazmine Powers. “I’m very proud of these girls.”
Brewer (29-5) led by four points with less than two minutes to play in the second overtime, before senior guard Hannah Barber drove to the basket, changed hands and converted a left-handed scoop shot while absorbing a foul. She converted the free throw to cut Brewer’s lead to 61-60.
Barber then tied the game at 62-62 with a basket and the Lady Patriots forced a turnover to set up Cunningham’s game-winner.
After reaching the state final each of the last three seasons, and winning it twice, the Lady Patriots were determined to not let the road end in Jacksonville.
“It definitely helps a lot,” Barber said of the Lady Patriots’ vast playoff experience. “That’s a good example of how this road has been. We always find a way to get through these games.”
There have been a few more curves in the road to navigate this season for the Lady Patriots, with Lia Roberson and Tori Webb both out with knee injuries, the adjustment to a new coach, and so on.
It’s taken players like Watts to fill a big void and the rest of the senior class to step up from role players to key players. For the most part, that has occurred, and has allowed Homewood to keep winning.
Barber led Homewood with 19 points and four assists. Cunningham scored 16 points and picked up five steals. Kayla Mikula cleaned up everything in the paint, pulling down eight boards and blocking five shots. Watts finished with eight critical points.
“I told them it would take everybody and I’ve been preaching that since June,” Powers said. “To see everything we’ve been through this season and how we’ve grown closer and found ways to win, I’m extremely proud of them.”
After Brewer jumped out to a 9-4 lead, Homewood scored the next 10 points to take a 14-11 edge after a quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Alexia Hood drained her second 3-pointer in the span of two minutes, and Homewood lengthened its lead to as much as nine. Brewer scored seven of the last 12 points of the half to cut Homewood’s lead to 24-20.
The Lady Patriots began the third quarter with a flourish, scoring the first seven points to open up an 11-point edge. But Brewer responded with an 11-0 run and tied the game on a McCarley Northway 3-pointer late in the third. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair the whole way.
Shyan Flack led Brewer with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Northway added 16 points, and Evaiah Burrows chipped in 12.
Homewood now looks ahead to a regional final rematch from last year with Ramsay, an area opponent that it has lost to twice in three meetings this season.
“This one means a little more,” Barber said of this playoff run. “We’ve been here before and we know what it’s like, but it’s really fun to be a part of because it’s our last year.”
Tip-off is set for Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
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