CLINTON - Pillow Academy didn't play its "A-game" - but didn't need it to move a step closer to a record sixth MPSA Overall Tournament title.
Despite being outhustled at times and outrebounded 26-15, the AAA champion Lady Mustangs defeated Simpson Academy 60-49 Wednesday in the Overall quarterfinals before an estimated crowd of 1,800 at Mississippi College's A.E. Wood Coliseum.
Simpson, the No. 4 team from AA, finishes the season at 25-11.
No. 5 Pillow, 34-5 and winner of 26 straight, squares off with with No. 4 Leake, the AA runner-up, at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. The winner advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. championship game against the winner of the Brookhaven-Delta contest.
Leake is 37-2 after beating Central Private in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Leake defeated Pillow 62-55 in the Lady Mustangs' second game of the season.
"Our game with Leake was back and forth, a real good game. They made some key baskets late, and we missed some free throws," Pillow coach Durwin Carpenter said. "Leake is a very tough team. We've got to slow their fast break down and get out on their 3-point shooters."
Wednesday against Simpson, the Lady Mustangs trailed 12-11 at the end of the first period. Pillow took the lead for good, 20-18, at the 4:30 mark of the second period on a pair of free throws by senior Stribling Whites, who hit six straight foul shots to push Pillow's lead to 24-19. Whites hit 8 of 10 from the charity stripe for the game and finished with a team-high 18 points.
Pillow led 30-27 at the half.
Sparked by the outside shooting of senior Meg Flanagan, the Lady Mustangs outscored Simpson 17-10 in the third to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter.
After missing her first four attempts from long range, Flanagan knocked down three straight treys in the third. Flanagan finished with 12 points.
Pillow controlled the game in the fourth and took care of business at the foul line, and Simpson never got closer than nine points.
The Lady Mustangs shot 73 percent from the foul line, hitting 25 of 34 attempts.
Pillow led by 15 points with 2:33 left after a pair of free throws by Clansey Flautt, but Simpson closed the gap with a couple of late baskets.
"It's always good to get the first game out of the way. We came out a little flat, but Simpson had already played a game," said Carpenter. "Our girls were all excited and keyed up.
"We were able to take it to the basket and get to the line, and our girls knocked them down when they got there."
Junior forward Meagan Webb had 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. No other PA player had more than three rebounds.
Carpenter, who won Overall titles at Pillow in 1997 and '98, said the Lady Mustangs must do a better job of boxing out and crashing the boards if they're going to have a shot at a sixth Overall title.
Flautt and Amy Beckwith chipped in with eight and seven points, respectively.
