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Springwood pulled off a gritty comeback against Edgewood to escape elimination at the state tournament. A spectacular fourth quarter secured the Wildcat win 45-37 and a spot in the semifinals.

Edgewood was the better team during the first frame. Their defense relegated Springwood to the outside.  The Wildcats also struggled with rebounds and second balls. However, they hung in there and ended the first trailing 10-7.

“We made some adjustments at halftime. A lot of it, in my opinion, was they were just tight. You know, it’s a bigger stage,” said Lisa Sampson, the Wildcats’ head coach.

The second quarter was identical to the first and the Wildcats went into the locker room down 20-14. 

They came out a new team. The third quarter was the first they outscored Edgewood, 14-10. Springwood was still down six points going into the final eight minutes 

Wes Carden hit a three at the top of the fourth to shift the momentum back to Springwood. Both sides were physical, knowing elimination was at stake.

Springwood’s offense came out on top and pulled ahead. The defense started making more rebounds and steals allowing time to tick on. The last minute or so of the game saw Edgewood fouling constantly to slow Springwood down. In the end, nothing could stop the Wildcats. 

They move on to the semifinals against Evangel. The game will take place at the Cramton Multiplex in Montgomery on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT.

“I told them at the end of the game, never been so for the fight they showed. They never gave up, they just kept pushing,” Sampson said.