Panther Creek of Cary tops Hillside of Durham, advances to first NCHSAA 4A state final
Panther Creek, a 2022 N.C. 4A state quarterfinalist, followed Tuesday’s quarterfinals statement win by extending the school’s best season Saturday at Lee County High School. The Catamounts’ 61-56 East Regional final win over Hillside secured in inaugural berth in next weekend’s state final.
Panther Creek (28-4) will meet Lake Norman — a 60-54 winner over Charlotte Catholic in the West Regional final — Saturday, March 11, at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The Catamounts and Hornets were within two possessions of each other nearly the entire game. Panther Creek led by three (14-11) after the first quarter, while Hillside led by one (29-28) and five (46-41) after the second and third quarters.
“I knew at halftime that if we could continue to battle, keep it close, stay in it, that we had a good shot down the stretch to make a run and get some defensive stops,” Panther Creek coach Danielle Sullivan said. “Ultimately, that’s what we did.”
Four different Catamounts accounted for 10 of the fourth quarter’s first 12 points by which Panther Creek secured the lead for good. Hillside’s Khauri Little put the Hornets ahead 48-45 near the 6-minute mark, but Catamount Taylor Barner (20 points) answered immediately with an emotional three-point play with 5:50 remaining.
“Just being able to get down there and get a bucket was a big deal for me,” Barner said. “That kind of pushed us to push through the adversity.”
Madisyn Jordan, positioned atop the 3-point circle, received a sharp baseline pass from Kirstin Smalls (16 points) and converted a three-pointer for a 51-48 advantage that lasted. The game’s next field goal was a 3-pointer by Tucker.
“Credit Amira for looking ahead for that pass,” Tucker said.
Hillside assistant coach Keith Jacquier assumed team leadership in the absence of Hornets head coach Ovester Grays, who has had some health challenges this season. Jacquier said Grays was at home resting, and, “He’s good.”
“They hit shots when they needed to. I thought we did a decent job up to that point,” Jacquier said. “Playing a team like that, you let them get a couple in a row, it’s going to hurt.
“It’s about execution, and who executes the most. Today, they executed a few more times than we did.”
Grays, like Jacquier, had to be pleased with the play of Hillside sophomore Samiyah Barker, who finished with a game-high 31 points, including all five of the Hornets’ 3-pointers. Barker hit her final trifecta after Panther Creek assumed a rare three-possession lead at 56-49. She followed that long-range shot with a three-point play that pulled Hillside within 56-55 with 1:05 to play.
The Catamounts, though, reeled off five straight points to seal the outcome.
“They battled, they battled, and they battled,” Sullivan said. “They all bought into that they were going to crash, and they crashed the boards hard.”
Hillside, seeking its first state final appearance since 2009, finished 25-4. The Hornets got 10 points from Dorinda Jordan.
This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 9:27 PM.