PRINCETON- Chalk up the 2023-24 season as a highly successful one for the Class AAAA 8th ranked Greenbrier East Lady Spartans.
With 27 points and five 3s from sophomore Kennedy Stewart, the Spartans went on the road and defeated the section’s No. 1 seed Princeton Lady Tigers 54-48 and secured the Region 3, Section 2 championship.
East (20-4) had lost to Princeton in the same gym a little over a month ago, but sometimes revenge is a dish best served…. In February?
I don’t think that’s how the saying goes, but the talk of this season has been East’s winning ways. With the Tigers victory under their belt, the Spartans are now 17-1 on their last 18 games and are playing their best basketball of the year.
“I am just trying to be a leader out there and do whatever it takes to win. It was a great team win and revenge feels even better,” Stewart said after the game.
The game was played well early on.
Jada Waller and Princeton’s Maddie Stull went back-and-forth in the opening quarter as each player had all four points for their respective teams early. The Tigers then went on a 5-0 run, but East never panicked one time, all night. Ava Workman got loose down the lane for a layup and Stewart knocked in a deep 3. Just as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter, Stewart hit another triple from the top of the key and the Spartans had a 14-12 lead after one.
It was Princeton’s turn to fire the deep ball in the second. Kaylee Wright hit two and Alli Parks and Kendra Conner each hit one as well. But Waller answered with a couple tough baskets and Sandy Banton made a 3 from the wing. Still, the Tigers (15-7) held a 28-25 advantage at halftime.
Princeton coach Matt Smith appeared to tell his team to slow down the pace in the second half, and it also appeared that his team took his message to heart. The Tigers walked the ball up the court and showed extreme patience while running down the clock and trying to lure the East defense to sleep, so to speak. Still hit a corner 3 for Princeton, but the Spartans picked up the pace as the third quarter moved forward. Stewart scored nine of her teams’ 11 points in the quarter and at the end of three, the game was tied at 36-all.
The Tigers Asia Collins had a good fourth quarter to keep her team in it, but there was just too much Stewart on the East side. With East leading 47-44 with 2:30 left, the sophomore facilitated with a drive to the hoop and a dish to Mackenna McClure who scored to put East up by five. That score remained until there was 25 seconds left, and after that, Workman and Stewart converted enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for a big victory.
“We appreciate the support from our community that made the trip to support us. Our team knew we had a job to get done so we just had to stay focused,” Stewart stated thankfully.
Turnovers played a big part in this one as East finished plus-7 in that category. The Spartans had just six compared to 13 for Princeton.
Stewart had 6 rebounds and 4 steals to go along with her 27 points. Waller added 10 points and Hannah Fuller grabbed 8 rebounds.
Still had 15 points and five rebounds for the Tigers. Collins scored 10 points and collected 7 boards.
East will host a regional game next Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7:30 PM and playing at home can be the difference with a state tournament berth on the line.
“We knew going in that if we lost it would be a tough road game. But with the win, we will have our home crowd behind us to help us get to Charleston. Let’s pack the house next Thursday,” Stewart exclaimed.
