Fashion
BREAKING SAT. NIGHT: Southeast makes it to the top in fast fashion, wins girls’ state 2-A title
Mar
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
That didn’t take long for Southeast Alamance.
The school, still considered in its infancy, won a girls’ basketball state championship that even the Stallions didn’t sense would occur so quickly.
“I didn’t see it happening,” guard Shaniya Paylor said.
Well, believe it.
Southeast locked down North Wilkes in the second half to capture a 43-33 victory in the Class 2-A state final Saturday at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
Clara LaChapelle racked up 14 points and 10 rebounds and Paylor scored 12 points. Paylor was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, while LaChapelle received the Most Outstanding Player award for the East Region representative.
Without a senior, the Stallions (29-3) stood tallest.
“It’s a wave of emotions,” LaChapelle said. “I’m so happy and excited because we worked so hard this year. We gave everything we had every practice. But at the same time, it’s kind of sad because I don’t want it to end. I’ve had so much fun.”
That was clearly on display among the joy expressed by the Stallions as Paylor dribbled out the final seconds and orange-clad supporters roared their approval.
Southeast is a second-year school, opening its doors less than 19 months ago.
Amy Sarratt left her coaching position at Southern Alamance to start the Southeast program, joined by a core of players that also arrived from Southern.
There was a strong initial season for the program and then it went to another level.
“At the end of last year, when we knew that everybody was coming back and we saw the growth that we had in that one season,” LaChapelle said. “We knew that everybody was coming back was going to have a strong work ethic, we knew that it was very much possible.”
In the second half, North Wilkes (30-2) shot 5-for-26 from the field combined with nine turnovers.
“Fantastic defensive effort,” Sarratt said. “What I was really impressed about was hitting free throws toward the end when it was crucial. We struggled a little bit on the free-throw line all season, and they were just clutch tonight.”
The Stallions went 9-for-12 in the fourth quarter on free throws. They were 13-for-16 for the game compared to the Vikings going 6-for-13 on foul shots.
North Wilkes scored 12 points in the game’s first five minutes and then needed 19 minutes to produce its next 12 points. Ralee Bare finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“It wasn’t our best game,” North Wilkes coach Steven Phillips said. “Credit the other team. They played really good defense. Really good tough, physical basketball. Thirty-three points is a good half for us most days.”
North Wilkes bolted to a 12-5 lead, but Southeast pulled even at 12-12 by the end of the first quarter.
Paylor picked up her third foul with 3:56 left in the second quarter, but she stayed in the game. Then the Stallions rattled off the next seven points for a 21-16 lead.
The Vikings notched the last four points of the half, which ended with Southeast holding a 21-20 edge.
North Wilkes missed its first eight shots of the second half while also committing three turnovers.
“We didn’t respond the way we normally do,” Phillips said.
Southeast’s Natalie Lopez scored all nine of her points on three 3-pointers. She had the Stallions’ lone 3 in the second half, a shot from the right corner for the first basket for either team after the break. That was the first of the team’s five second-half baskets, but those were enough.
North Wilkes also lost in 2018 in its only previous appearance in a state final.
