NASHVILLE -- Pottsville senior Kaylin Parker held both hands above her head while pointing to her ring finger as the final buzzer sounded Saturday at Scrappers Arena.
"We want a ring," Parker said.
Pottsville is now one victory away from completing its postseason run after beating Berryville 59-43 in the Class 4A state tournament semifinals. Three-pointers and three-point plays helped the Lady Apaches (21-11) build an early lead and sustain it late.
Berryville defeated Pottsville 38-35 in the 4A-North Regional semifinals eight days earlier.
"It's just amazing how much this team has grown in the last three weeks," said Pottsville Coach Chance Johnson.
Parker hit five jumpers in a row after missing her first one. The second of those pushed the Lady Apaches' lead to 51-36 midway through the fourth quarter. Pottsville's Skylar Campbell finished with a game-high 20 points, which included two three-point plays. Madi Rust hit 3 three-pointers on her way to 11 points.
"We got that early lead and we got that good feeling that, 'Hey, we can do this,'" said Johnson. "That's what really got us going form the get-go and then we just kept extending it."
Pottsville began pulling away in the first quarter after hitting three of its first five three-point attempts. Campbell hit 2 of 3 free throws at the end of the first quarter to give the Lady Apaches a 17-9 lead.
Three-point plays by Amanda Myer and Campbell highlighted a 14-7 second-quarter run that gave the Lady Apaches a 31-16 lead.
Berryville's Baylea Smith hit two three-pointers and Aspen Smith added a three-pointer and completed a three-point play that cut the deficit to 41-33 late in the third quarter. But Pottsville opened the fourth on a 9-2 run and kept applying pressure for easy baskets in the closing minutes to pull away.
POCAHONTAS 72, MONTICELLO 56
Kristen Wiseman and Ashlyn Ellis combined for 43 points to guide the Lady Redskins to their 22nd consecutive victory.
It's the first time Pocahontas has reached the state championship game since winning a state title in 1996.
Tiarra Austin finished with a team-high 18 points for Monticello while Brandashia Hargraves chipped in 13.
Sports on 03/05/2017