Columbus, Carver girls advance to Class 4A semifinals

The Class 4A girls basketball semifinals will have a distinct Muscogee County flavor this season.

Columbus and Carver punched their tickets to the semis on Tuesday with victories in the quarterfinals round. Columbus went on the road and dominated Spalding 71-43, while Carver defended its home court with a 57-47 victory over Jefferson.

“All year long, we tried to put ourselves against the toughest competition we could face,” Carver head coach Anson Hundley said. “I think the girls had a will to win tonight, and that’s what it’s coming down to. Everybody’s good at this point, so it’s coming down to who’s got the will at the end.”

The Lady Tigers struggled to take the lead over the Lady Dragons until Ja’nya Love-Hill’s layup in the final seconds of the third quarter put Carver up 36-34. The Lady Tigers followed by opening the fourth quarter with Maliyah Holloway’s open shot from deep in the field to quickly go up four points for their then-largest lead of the game.

From there, it was all Carver.

Mya Millner helped Carver pull away at that point, delivering a wild layup from directly under the basket that somehow banged its way in with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter. It was a sign of things to come for Carver, as the Lady Tigers kept putting up points and Jefferson kept missing the few promising looks they could create.

“I just saw an open lane and took it,” Millner said.

Millner, Love-Hill and Mariah Igus wreaked havoc on the Lady Dragons throughout the game and put it away with shot after shot in the closing minutes. Igus and Love-Hill finished with a team-high 15 points apiece, with Millner following close behind with 14.

“It’s just a team effort,” Hundley said. “All year, we’ve heard we wouldn’t be able to do it. They want it.”

Love-Hill’s shot to close the third quarter capped off Carver’s first signs of life in the game. Igus had suddenly taken charge in the Lady Tigers’ efforts after halftime, quickly putting up her first five points of the game in consecutive possessions. The Carver attack in the third quarter coincided with Jefferson struggling to hit the open 3-pointers it managed in the first half, leaving the Lady Dragons vulnerable of losing the lead.

The first half was a very different story for the Lady Tigers. The team’s consistent press defense proved ineffective against Jefferson and allowed the Lady Dragons several open looks. Jefferson took advantage of its chances, building a 14-8 lead in the first quarter before Carver finally starting putting it together in the second period.

After facing off three times in the regular season and region tournament, Carver and Columbus now sit one victory each away from a rematch in the state championship game. Columbus will play the winner of Madison County and Sandy Creek at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Augusta University, followed by Carver against Cross Creek at 6:00 p.m.

Hundley’s message has remained the same to his squad ever since their playoff run began.

“Don’t stop,” Hundley said. “It’s a great feeling. We’re going to enjoy it tonight, but we’re going to get back at it tomorrow trying to figure out how we can win another game.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Columbus, Carver girls advance to Class 4A semifinals."