She’s not a scorer by nature, and she had scored only only four points Saturday afternoon when she got the ball with 12 seconds left, down by two points, 80 feet from the basket.
But somebody had to score. And it might as well be the St. Francis junior.
Jade Davis drove the length of the court to tie the score with 7.8 seconds left. Then, No. 2 St. Francis made eight consecutive free throws in overtime to defeat No. 1 Southwest Atlanta Christian 62-56 at the Macon Centreplex for the Class A-Private championship.
It marks the first basketball state title in school history for St. Francis (24-8), who also upset SACA (28-4) in the Region 6 final last month.
When Amber Brown’s free throw went off the mark with 14 seconds left, Davis knew the Knights had a chance when the ball fell into her hands.
Described as a “defensive specialist” by coach Alisha Kennedy, she wasn’t the most likely candidate to drive all the way for a crucial basket, but she was ready when the opportunity came her way.
“I don’t normally look to score,” Davis said. “But something kicked in, and I said, ‘I have to go. I have to go.’”
She did, dribbling into the lane, taking on two defenders and getting fouled in the process of rattling home the tying basket.
She missed the free throw that could have ended it, but the most important part was behind her — the Knights still had four more minutes to win a title.
SACA scored the first overtime basket, but the Warriors wouldn’t score again until the game was decided. Candice Williams answered that first SACA basket with a layup, and then St. Francis went on a free-throw binge that put the game away.
The Knights struggled at the line late in regulation, missing four of five after a 17-4 run allowed them to erase a nine-point third-quarter deficit, but they were able to make them in the extra period.
“We talked about it,” Kennedy said. “Step away from the line. Take your time. Don’t come up to the free-throw line and just wait for the ref to give you the ball. A lot of them have never been here before. They settled down, and they knocked them down when they counted.”
Antoinette Brown led St. Francis with 22 points and nine rebounds. SACA’s Alexis Carter had a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. SACA outrebounded St. Francis 41-27. The Knights attempted 22 free throws more and made 16 more than did the Warriors.
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