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The Springwood Girls basketball team our one win away from being state champions. On Thursday night, they beat Clark Prep, 40-32. The Wildcats will play for a State Championship against Lowndes on Friday at 4 p.m. CT in Montgomery. 

The squad has been dominant this entire season, beating every opponent they have faced. However, they still have one more hurdle. The semifinal game was just another example of the team’s ability. 

Clark Prep almost put an end to their historic season. The Wildcats had trouble breaking inside and getting rebounds early. Despite that, Springwood ended the first quarter up 9-5. 

The Gator’s defense proved even tougher in the second. A couple of threes kept it close. It was a rare event when Springwood went into the locker room down 19-17.

“Clark Prep has good man defense, and they keyed in on Lex [Little] and Tori [Patillo],” said head coach Lisa Sampson.

Springwood’s shots just weren’t going in during the third. Clark Prep, on the other hand, came alive. With three minutes left in the quarter, Clark Prep was up ten points. The Wildcat offense showed signs of clicking, going on a short run to make it 29-25 going into the final frame.

Springwood was a team on a mission during the fourth quarter. The defense started making rebounds. Some quick steals and layups in transition put the Wildcats up for the first time in the half. With five minutes left they held a one point advantage. A three pointer by Emily Jo Matthews and another steal and layup by Shalexia Little gave Springwood some breathing room going into the final couple of minutes.

Springwood saw the game out, winning 40-32. 

Going into the fourth, Sampson said she told her team, “Take it one possession at a time…they stuck with it and I’m really proud.”

Patillo led the scoring with 17 points. Little followed with ten and Matthew’s with six.