HOT SPRINGS — Chelsea Moore converted two free throws - her only points of the game - with 12.6 seconds remaining to lift Charleston to a 41-40 victory Thursday over Valley Springs in the girls Class 3A championship game.
Moore's free throws gave the Lady Tigers (27-6) a 41-38 lead en route to their first state title.
Valley Springs (38-6) scored with five seconds remaining, but never got off a final shot after Charleston missed two free throws with 3.1 seconds left.
"I thought our kids played bigger than they were," said Charleston coach Jeff Stubblefield. "We had kids step up in a situation they are not normally placed in. They just played bigger than they are."
Undersized, Charleston used a balanced attack in a close back-and-forth game.
"I thought we played defense well and created a lot of turnovers that kept us close," Valley Springs coach Kimberly Jenkins said. "We could never quite get over the hump."
Tournament most valuable player Jordan McCann led Charleston with 12 points. Ashley Smithson scored 9, Katelyn Haynes 8 and Kally Smith 6.
Charleston led 13-12 after a slow-paced first half. The Lady Tigers were up 9-8 after the first quarter and held onto the lead after hitting just one of seven shots in the second period. Going into the final period, Charleston led 22-21.
Arielle Saunders led Valley Springs with 12 points and eight rebounds. Hayley Scott scored 10, and Westin Taylor and Kayla Carlton had 9 each.