AC Flora girls upset Airport to move on in Class 4A basketball playoffs
For the second straight game, A.C. Flora girls basketball went on the road and pulled off the upset.
McKinley Brooks-Sumpter scored 15 points to lead a balanced attack as the third-seeded Falcons claimed a 51-40 victory over Airport in the Class 4A playoffs Friday night. That earns ACF another road trip – this time to Myrtle Beach for a rematch of last year’s third round contest won by the Seahawks. The game is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.
“It’s big because not every night is your best player going to have a great game,” ACF coach Coral Johnson said. “To keep advancing in the playoffs, somebody has to do something they aren’t used to doing. We’re just happy to still be able to practice.”
All-State performer Brooks-Sumpter was the only A.C. Flora player in double figures, but she had plenty of help. Debrielle Williams and Kailyn Glover each contributed nine points with Kaitlyn Richmond chipping in with eight points.
The Falcons (14-11) built a 12-point first half lead only to see the Eagles storm back and make it a one-point ACF lead, 25-24, at halftime when Caliegh Corbitt hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer.
Airport (18-9) actually went ahead by three, 28-25, in the third quarter but the Falcons responded. They closed on an 11-4 run that made it 36-32 entering the fourth.
That was a key for Johnson.
“It was really big for us to retake the lead,” Johnson said. “It’s a game of runs so you have to be able to fight back when somebody gets their run. Everybody gets a run in the playoffs. You just hope the runner cools off before it gets too close.”
Richmond and Glover had key baskets and Brooks-Sumpter ran the show, dishing out assists when she wasn’t scoring. Laronda Quattlebaum made it a 10-point cushion, 43-33, when she hit a jumper with 4:55 remaining. Airport never got it closer than eight points the rest of the way.
“We wanted to make it a half-court game,” Johnson said. “We needed to stop giving them straight line drives and penetration. We thought playing in the half court was better for us. We wanted to back up and make them hit the contested jump shot.”
Jayla Jamison led Airport with 21 points. Eagles coach Jacob Thompson was very complimentary of A.C. Flora but thought his team left some chances on the floor. Airport finished 5-of-18 from the free throw line.
“We could have easily laid down when it was 11-1 but at the end some of the plays for us just went the wrong way,” Thompson said. “Some nights, we miss a lot and some nights we make a lot. We had chances but we missed some free throws and I think that hurt our confidence a little bit.”
ACF – McKinley Brooks-Sumpter 15, Williams 9, Glover 9, Richmond 8, Quattlebaum 6, Sessions 2, Eargle 2. A – Jayla Jamison 21, Zeigler 7, C. Corbitt 6, T. Corbitt 3, Jackson 3.