Hardeeville girls rally to beat rival Ridgeland

One bad stretch can often make or break a game -- the Hardeeville girls basketball team learned this much in last year's Class 1-A state title-game loss.

And after committing 14 turnovers and scoring just two points in a sloppy third quarter during Friday's home contest against rival Ridgeland, it appeared the Hurricanes would once again endure this lesson the hard way.

Turns out, the defending state runner-ups just needed the calming leadership of their all-state forward Jomanda Smalls.

Led by the senior's three rebounds and two assists, the Hurricanes poured in 22 fourth-quarter points -- 11 of which came from the foul line -- and forced Ridgeland into seven of its 24 turnovers to rally for a 43-36 victory.

Tensions ran high throughout the contest, leading to several skirmishes and the ejection of Hardeeville coach Greg Cox midway through the third quarter. Still, Smalls blamed a lack of passion for the Hurricanes' eight-minute lapse.

"We just didn't have enough intensity in the third quarter," said Smalls, who sat out most of that period with foul trouble . "We started to pick things up after that, and we also slowed the game down more and set up plays that got us some points."

Beforehand, both teams struggled to build an offensive rhythm, combining for 41 turnovers and just 10 field goals in the first three quarters.

Still, Ridgeland was able to rally in the third period when Smalls went to the bench. Thanks to 9-for-13 shooting from the foul line as well as a 3-pointer and transition lay-up by Cassandra Heyward, the Jaguars went on a 12-0 run to take a 24-19 lead.

But just as Ridgeland was heating up, Smalls returned while Heyward and point guard April Jenkins fouled out, leaving the Jaguars without a primary ballhandler. The Hurricanes took advantage, forcing the Jaguars into turnovers on the perimeter and penetrating the lane to create opportunities at the foul line.

"It's hard to lose both of your point guards and get the execution you need late in the game," Jaguars coach Frederick Toomer said. "We just couldn't get things going again after that."

A 3-pointer by Shantis Lee (15 points) knotted the game at 31 and after a putback by Shayla Williams gave Hardeeville the lead, Lee and Shanteriya Rivers (11 points) pushed their team into the clear by knocking down seven of 10 free throws.

RIDGE (0-1) Kala Brown 9, Cassandra Heyward 7, Brittany Richardson 5, Briana Walker 5, Angelica Alston 5, April Jenkins 4, Tonisha Roberts 1.

HAR (2-0) Shantis Lee 15, Shanteriya Rivers 11, Jomanda Smalls 7, Shayla Williams 6, Danielle Waiters 4.

RIDGELAND AT HARDEEVILLE BOYS (late game)

The boys contest between Ridgeland and Hardeeville finished after our paper's deadline.

In the first half, the Jaguars built a quick 21-3 lead and were leading the Hurricanes, 41-19, at halftime.