The South Decatur girls basketball program has clawed its way into new territory. For the first time, the Lady Cougars are headed to the semistate. The regional championship came down to the final seconds with Oldenburg Academy having a chance for the win, but the Lady Twisters did not get a shot off and South Decatur held on for the 40-39 victory.
South improves to 16-11 on the season and advances to the Shelbyville Semistate. The Lady Cougars face No. 2 Bordon (20-5) at 10 a.m. Saturday. Oldenburg ends the season at 21-5.
South took the first lead of the game on a Dalilah Martin layup. OA got on the board with a bucket by Norah Haverkos. The first quarter was back-and-forth as Makayla Somers scored for South and Oldenburg’s Addisyn Lambert answered. Oldenburg’s first lead came at 8-6 on two Lambert free throw.
A reverse layup by Makayla Somers tied the game at 8-8 and Martin’s bucket put South back in front. Oldenburg’s Ali Nobbe hit a 3-pointer that looked to give the Lady Twisters the final lead of the quarter, but Makayla Somers hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give South a 13-11 lead after the first quarter.
Oldenburg tied the game on a floater by Gina Grote. A left-corner 3-pointer by Paige McQueen hit nothing but net and put the Lady Cougars up 16-13. After OA cut the deficit to 18-16, South built the lead to 22-16 as McQueen found Riley Benge for the bucket and Makayla Somers scored on the rebound bucket.
Two late free throws by OA’s Haverkos closed the first half with South leading 22-18.
Two early buckets by OA knotted the game at 22-22. South got on the board in the second half with McQueen scoring and drawing a foul. Following a Lady Twisters’ bucket by Rachel Suttmann, South got five straight points from the Somers sisters to extend the lead to 29-24.
After a timeout and OA free throw by Haverkos, Martin’s layup put South up by six points. Nobbe’s two free throws for OA cut the deficit back to four, but McQueen scored just before the horn to give South a 6-point cushion heading to the fourth quarter, 33-27.
OA’s Suttmann took the ball to the basket to open the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to four points. Makayla Puckett immediately answered on the other end for South with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 36-29. After a rebound bucket by OA’s Lambert and bucket by Makayla Somers for South, the Lady Twisters began to rally.
Suttmann’s bucket was followed by a Lambert free throw to cut the deficit to four. Suttmann scored again to get the Lady Twisters within two at 38-36. OA’s Gina Grote hit a free throw to cut it to 38-37 before Makayla Somers drained a pair of free throws with :48.2 remaining to give South a 40-37 lead.
A South turnover game OA a chance with :18.4 on the clock. OA’s Haverkos hit a pair of free throws with :06.4 to cut the deficit to 40-39. After South missed at the charity stripe with :05.3 left, OA rebounded the ball but could not get a shot off and time expired giving South the regional title.
Makayla Somers led the Lady Cougars with 15 points. McQueen was next with nine points. Martin added six points. Puckett had five points. Taylor Somers had three points and Riley Benge had two points.
Oldenburg was led by Lambert with 11 points followed by Suttmann 10, Haverkos seven, Nobbe five, Grote four and Claire Niese two.
