Of the 6 minutes of action on Wednesday night, Dreher (Columbia, SC) held the lead for just 3:42, and the last two seconds were the most important. Kaydra Duckett’s one-handed tip-in with 2.4 seconds remaining in overtime gave Dreher a 72-70 quarterfinal victory over Heathwood Hall (Columbia, SC). The win sends Dreher into the semifinal round to face the winner of the Edgewater and Greenwood contest.
Heathwood Hall (5-1) looked to be ready to move into the semis as the Highlanders held a 56-50 advantage with 4:2 remaining in regulation. The lead was quickly erased as Dreher (7-0) tallied eight unanswered points to take a 58-56 lead on Duckett’s driving layup with 2:27 on the clock. A’ja Wilson tied the game just 10 seconds later from the free throw line and then regained the lead for Heathwood Hall on another pair of freebies with 1:01 remaining in regulation. Dreher’s Shaniqwa Hopkins knotted the score at 60-60 on two free throws with 53 seconds on the clock. Following a missed jumper by Heathwood Hall’s Victoria Dickerson, Dreher held the ball for a final shot but Duckett’s short jumper was wide right to send the game into the extra frame.
In overtime, Dreher never trailed as Chelsea Wilson scored the first two points just 13 seconds into overtime. Heathwood Hall would tie the game several times in the extra sessions and Gadsen Lefft’s layup with 34 seconds remaining tied the game at 70-70. Following a turnover by Dreher’s Hopkins, Chelsea Joseph missed a pair of free throws to keep the game tied. Dreher then ran the clock down once again and Hopkins layup with three seconds remaining rolled off the right side of the rim. Duckett jumped over everyone and tipped the ball through the net with 2.4 seconds on the clock as Heathwood Hall quickly called a timeout. The Highlanders attempted a long pass to Wilson but it was batted away into the hands of Heathwood Hall’s Joseph. Her shot hit off of the back of the rim and was rebounded by Duckett to secure the victory for the Blue Devils.
Duckett paced Dreher with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals. Jhileiya Dunlap added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils while Hopkins chipped in with 16 points and eight boards.
Wilson, considered the #1 high school senior in the nation, led all scorers with 40 points and added 18 rebounds. The 40 points is the third best scoring game in CBHI history.
