CLINTON — Pillow Academy punched its ticket to the MAIS Overall Tournament semifinals with a strong second-half performance.
The Lady Mustangs outscored Central Hinds 42-24 after the break to roll to a 68-50 win here Wednesday at A.E. Wood Coliseum at Mississippi College. PA (29-4) faces Lamar School at 1 p.m. Friday with a trip to Saturday’s championship game on the line.
“The girls were determined and focused,” Pillow veteran coach Durwin Carpenter said. “We feel like our entire community is behind us. We are just taking it one game at a time and enjoying their effort and will to win.”
This will be the first meeting between Pillow and Lamar this season. Lamar (21-8) beat Jackson Academy 36-23 Wednesday in the other semifinal contest.
It’s the first Overall semifinal appearance for Pillow since 2010, when they lost to East Rankin in the finals. The Lady Mustangs are seeking their first Overall championship since 2005 and the fourth in Carpenter’s 24-year tenure at PA.
The game against Central Hinds, the No. 3 seed from AAA, was tied at 26 at the half before the Lady Mustangs went up 42-35 on Catherine Grace Lary’s 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the third. The senior guard also had a putback at the buzzer to give her team a 47-39 advantage heading into the fourth.
The PA girls, the third seed from AAAA, Division II, scored the first five points of the fourth and led 56-40 at the midway point after back-to-back baskets from senior Jane Rob Pannell and a layup by sophomore Kaylee Jones.
“Our team just kept fighting. We don’t want the season to end,” said Lary, who finished with eight points and three assists. “The key to the second half was that we came out with more momentum than the first. We broke the press very well, and our shots started to fall. It would mean the world to us to win it all.”
Sophomore Caroline Brock set the tone on the offensive end early for Pillow. She scored 19 of her game-high 23 points in the first half. She finished with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The swarming Lady Mustang defense held Central Hinds to 32 percent in the second half on 7-of-22 shooting from the field. PA also forced eight turnovers in the final two quarters.
Pannell notched her second straight double-double in Overall play — recording 12 points and 10 boards to go with three steals.
“We put it all on the line this game and just wanted it more than them,” Pannell said. “We got rebounds and pushed the ball down the court for layups. They were tired in the fourth quarter when we had high energy, which made a huge difference.”
Freshman Anna Taylor Hudson had 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Jones had six points — all of which came in the fourth to help the Lady Mustangs get rolling. Jones also had five rebounds, three steals and three assists.
