COVE -- Episcopal Collegiate guard Allie Freeman hadn't shot well going into Monday's semifinal matchup with Charleston, but the junior delivered when it mattered most.
Freeman scored 16 points and came up with six steals to help stamp the Wildcats' ticket back to the Class 3A title game with a 57-41 victory over the Tigers in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament.
"He came up big for us, especially early on," Episcopal Coach Micah Marsha said. "He didn't get it going in the second half, but he defended really well all game long. Those are the kinds of plays that make a difference in a game, and he did an outstanding job of doing that."
Mahlon Martin finished with 22 points for Episcopal (24-5), which will defend its title against 5-3A rival Mayflower in the championship game at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs.
Matthew Ward scored 23 points for Charleston (25-9).
Episcopal had won close games against Charleston in their previous two meetings, including a 62-56 victory in last year's championship game. But the Wildcats took much of the drama out this one with an impressive showing in the first half.
Freeman scored nine points in the first quarter to help Episcopal build an early lead, then hit a spinning layup with 4:56 left in the second to start an 11-2 run that turned a 19-14 advantage into 14-point cushion.
Episcopal led 34-22 at halftime but shot made 1 of 15 shots in the third quarter, but Charleston was only able to slice its deficit to six by quarter's end because of the Wildcats' propensity to force turnovers. Episcopal created five turnovers in the quarter, with Freeman coming up with three steals.
"That's what we hang our hat on," Marsh said of his team's defense. "Our kids respect Charleston so much. They're so big and physical, and Ward's a heck of a player. So we knew we'd be in for a fight and we had to get after them on defense."
The Wildcats opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-point plays from Martin and Kelvin Robinson to re-establish a double-digit lead and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Sports on 03/10/2015