In the semifinals of the MHSAA 3A Region 7 playoffs, South Pike’s top-seeded basketball teams each picked up wins on Thursday in Fayette.
The Lady Eagles (16-6) cruised to a 43-20 victory over Franklin County to advance to the title game.
Alaysha Williams led the way with 17 points for South Pike, while Deanna Lewis tacked on 10 and Amira Jackson poured in seven.
Lewis also recorded a team-high seven rebounds, while Shalia Johnson racked up five assists.
Williams even managed to pick up a whopping seven steals in the win.
The boys team (15-9) also moved on to the title round with a 58-54 victory over Jefferson County.
“Our guards definitely grew up last night, because our leading scorer [Jovon Leavy] had six points,” head coach Reggie Chambers said. “So my three sophomore guards stepped up, and I’m really proud of them for it.”
Chambers went on to explain that he believes his team needed a close game like this to get it into the postseason mindset, emphasizing how difficult it is to beat a team three times in a season.
“We took their best shot, but there wasn’t a point in the game where we didn’t feel like we were in control,” Chamber said. “We just grinded out a win.”
Up next, the Lady Eagles will take on Wesson at 7 p.m. Friday in the championship game of the Region 7 playoffs, while the boys will face Franklin County in another championship game at 8:30 p.m.
“We just need to continue to be who we are,” Chamber said when asked about what is key to winning the title game. “We’ve been preaching all year to have a ‘championship mentality,’ so it’s up to them to believe that we can make a run. Once we do that, we’ll start playing with confidence and understanding that we have a really good team.”
