It’s a sweet sixth state title for Spring Valley girls

One season after a disappointing second-round exit, the Spring Valley girls are back on top.

The Vikings overcame a slow start to defeat Wade Hampton 49-37 in the Class 5A state championship Friday night at Colonial Life Arena to win their third state title in four years and fifth since 2009.

Coach Megan Assey, in her second season at the helm, was pleased to bring the sixth overall title to Spring Valley.

“Obviously, there’s a championship tradition of excellence established here,” Assey said. “I knew that, and it was a big draw for me to take the job, but at the same time, winning and winning consistently is hard. It’s about what you build together. It’s culture, it’s leadership and it’s buy-in. That’s what they brought this year.”

The victory wouldn’t win any artistic awards, but it suited the Vikings perfectly. They started slow, but got a momentum push just before the half, then relied on the re-emergence of Taylor Lewis in the second half to win handily.

Scoring was at a premium the first 15 minutes before Ashley Williamson took matters into her own hands. The junior, who has committed to Clemson, knocked down an open 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining in the half. After a steal at midcourt, Williamson knocked down a second, long-range shot to give the Vikings a 15-8 lead at the half.

“That was the momentum we needed,” Assey said. “We couldn’t throw it in the ocean. Nerves had a lot to do with that, but that got us going and gave us an energy rush heading into the second half.”

It was a much better performance by Spring Valley (28-2) in the second half. They shot just 17.2 percent (5-of-29) but were 12-of-24 in the second half, mainly behind the play of Lewis. The junior missed last season with a torn ACL but was the difference-maker over the final 16 minutes.

She scored 16 of her 18 points after intermission to go along with seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

“Taylor Lewis really stepped it up there in the second half. She was nearly unstoppable for about four possessions,” Assey said. “Taylor played the game of her life, especially in that second half. When she’s on like that, nobody can stop her. It’s pretty special to watch.”

Lewis was determined to get the Vikings back to the finals after having to sit and watch last season. She went into an offensive mindset in the second half, and it carried over to the rest of the team.

“It meant a lot to me to bring a championship back to Spring Valley after battling back from an ACL injury. It felt good to be a big part of the team and win another title,” the junior said. “My demeanor changed in the second half. I didn’t want to see us lose, and I was willing to do anything to capture another title.”

Williamson finished with 10 points, and Lauryn Taylor added 10 rebounds.

Bre Watts scored 16 points for Wade Hampton (23-5), which lost in the finals for the second consecutive season.

Spring Valley previously won titles in 1978, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 9:15 PM with the headline "It’s a sweet sixth state title for Spring Valley girls."