Fourth-quarter comeback delivers Lady Chargers four-peat
WALKERTOWN — State championship celebrations have become an annual tradition for the Wilson Christian girls basketball team.
Despite trailing entering the fourth quarter against Living Water Christian at Gospel Light Christian on Saturday, the Lady Chargers rallied for a 49-43 victory, securing their fourth straight championship in their fifth straight title game appearance.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Lady Chargers head coach Brian Trull. “What makes it even better is that we had to fight for it. Some are different than others. This one was tough. (Living Water) had a great game plan, and they executed perfectly. We didn’t shoot very well, but we still did what we needed to in the end.”
The East Region top-seeded Lady Chargers, who finished the season with a 30-3 record, took a 25-19 lead at halftime, but a 13-6 third quarter allowed the Warriors, the East’s No. 2 seed, to take a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
“Coach Tom Farmer at Living Water had his girls prepared unbelievably,” Trull said. “They were absolutely ready to play, they played with a ton of class and they were deserving of being here, for sure.”
A veteran, experience-laden team wasn’t going to let that phase them, however. The Lady Chargers bounced back with an 18-11 fourth quarter, ensuring they continued the dynastic run that started four years ago.
“I think it says that not only are we all skilled players, but we have a lot of heart and depth in our team,” said WCA senior Sophia Nesbit. “We have a lot of momentum, and we all love each other and want what’s best. We work together, because we’re out there not only playing for ourselves and God, but we play for each other, and we want each of us to have that special moment.”
The Lady Chargers knocked down four of their 11 3-pointers in the fourth frame.
“We handled their press pretty well when they tried to extend on us,” Trull said. “It was a matter of getting the right look and hitting open shots in the fourth quarter, shots that we really hadn’t hit all game. That was the difference.”
Jocelyn Bailey. Kate Hoskins and Gracie Farmer led the Lady Chargers with 12 points apiece, with Bailey also pulling down nine rebounds.
Fittingly, each member of the team’s dynamic starting five made an impact, with Nesbit grabbing eight rebounds, and point guard Chloe Villaverde notching eight points and seven assists.
“I think when we came out in the fourth quarter, we held the momentum, and I think that helped us tremendously,” Bailey said. “I think we were really depending on each other and leaning on each other, and we knew we were very close. We knew where each person was going to be. I think our connection just helps us so much.”
The game marked the end of the line for Hoskins, Bailey and Nesbit, as well as fellow seniors Holland Miller, who Trull said helped stabilize WCA in the second quarter with Hoskins in foul trouble, and Patsy Price.
Hoskins and Nesbit were part of all four state titles of WCA’s four-peat, and this group doubled the number of state championships the program had won four years ago. Not a bad legacy to leave.
“It’s an honor,” Nesbit said. “Most high school athletes can rarely say they won one championship. But the fact that I get to say that in all my high school basketball, I’ve gotten to win four state championships with some great teams, it’s just been really special.”
Trull lamented the loss of his seniors, but knows that WCA couldn’t have sent them off in a better fashion.
“I wanted it for them because of how hard they worked,” Trull said. “They never took a day off. They never mailed it in in practice or mailed it in at any point during a game. You want them to be rewarded for that effort, and I thought they were.”
The players said that the cohesion and the chemistry that they’ve built over their time together was critical in a game such as this, one where the Lady Chargers had to stick together for their fourth-quarter rally.
“I honestly never thought that I would be on a team that would gel this well,” Hoskins said. “Everyone has their roles. We’ll give up a shot that we have to make sure someone else can score on our team. I think if you didn’t have a team that you could gel with, this game would have a totally different outcome. This game would have been totally switched if we had to rely on one person to carry that rest of the game. This is a game we definitely had to work for and rely on all of our shooters, all of our post players, all of our defensive positions. We each have a spot, and we each play it so well. We’ve played it for so long that having a team that gels together can change the outcome of a game
WALKERTOWN — State championship celebrations have become an annual tradition for the Wilson Christian girls basketball team.
Despite trailing entering the fourth quarter against Living Water Christian at Gospel Light Christian on Saturday, the Lady Chargers rallied for a 49-43 victory, securing their fourth straight championship in their fifth straight title game appearance.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Lady Chargers head coach Brian Trull. “What makes it even better is that we had to fight for it. Some are different than others. This one was tough. (Living Water) had a great game plan, and they executed perfectly. We didn’t shoot very well, but we still did what we needed to in the end.”
The East Region top-seeded Lady Chargers, who finished the season with a 30-3 record, took a 25-19 lead at halftime, but a 13-6 third quarter allowed the Warriors, the East’s No. 2 seed, to take a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
“Coach Tom Farmer at Living Water had his girls prepared unbelievably,” Trull said. “They were absolutely ready to play, they played with a ton of class and they were deserving of being here, for sure.”
A veteran, experience-laden team wasn’t going to let that phase them, however. The Lady Chargers bounced back with an 18-11 fourth quarter, ensuring they continued the dynastic run that started four years ago.
“I think it says that not only are we all skilled players, but we have a lot of heart and depth in our team,” said WCA senior Sophia Nesbit. “We have a lot of momentum, and we all love each other and want what’s best. We work together, because we’re out there not only playing for ourselves and God, but we play for each other, and we want each of us to have that special moment.”
The Lady Chargers knocked down four of their 11 3-pointers in the fourth frame.
“We handled their press pretty well when they tried to extend on us,” Trull said. “It was a matter of getting the right look and hitting open shots in the fourth quarter, shots that we really hadn’t hit all game. That was the difference.”
Jocelyn Bailey. Kate Hoskins and Gracie Farmer led the Lady Chargers with 12 points apiece, with Bailey also pulling down nine rebounds.
Fittingly, each member of the team’s dynamic starting five made an impact, with Nesbit grabbing eight rebounds, and point guard Chloe Villaverde notching eight points and seven assists.
“I think when we came out in the fourth quarter, we held the momentum, and I think that helped us tremendously,” Bailey said. “I think we were really depending on each other and leaning on each other, and we knew we were very close. We knew where each person was going to be. I think our connection just helps us so much.”
The game marked the end of the line for Hoskins, Bailey and Nesbit, as well as fellow seniors Holland Miller, who Trull said helped stabilize WCA in the second quarter with Hoskins in foul trouble, and Patsy Price.
Hoskins and Nesbit were part of all four state titles of WCA’s four-peat, and this group doubled the number of state championships the program had won four years ago. Not a bad legacy to leave.
“It’s an honor,” Nesbit said. “Most high school athletes can rarely say they won one championship. But the fact that I get to say that in all my high school basketball, I’ve gotten to win four state championships with some great teams, it’s just been really special.”
Trull lamented the loss of his seniors, but knows that WCA couldn’t have sent them off in a better fashion.
“I wanted it for them because of how hard they worked,” Trull said. “They never took a day off. They never mailed it in in practice or mailed it in at any point during a game. You want them to be rewarded for that effort, and I thought they were.”
The players said that the cohesion and the chemistry that they’ve built over their time together was critical in a game such as this, one where the Lady Chargers had to stick together for their fourth-quarter rally.
“I honestly never thought that I would be on a team that would gel this well,” Hoskins said. “Everyone has their roles. We’ll give up a shot that we have to make sure someone else can score on our team. I think if you didn’t have a team that you could gel with, this game would have a totally different outcome. This game would have been totally switched if we had to rely on one person to carry that rest of the game. This is a game we definitely had to work for and rely on all of our shooters, all of our post players, all of our defensive positions. We each have a spot, and we each play it so well. We’ve played it for so long that having a team that gels together can change the outcome of a game
