Champs! Saluda girls make history and win program’s first state title
The Saluda High School girls basketball team won its first state championship Wednesday behind a dominant performance from Kalisha Hill.
The senior forward scored 13 of her game-high 34 points in the third quarter to lead the Tigers past Silver Bluff 61-41 and to the Class 2A girls basketball championship at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
“Since eighth or ninth grade, we have been working on this. Tenth grade year, I said I want a state championship,” Hill said. “We kept fighting for it, working hard in practice. And we finally did it.”
Saluda was making its first state championship appearance since 1954. The Tigers made it to the Upper State finals last year before losing to Christ Church.
Hill said this week that last year’s loss was motivation for the team. She went out and delivered the past two games.
Hill had 27 points and 21 rebounds in Saturday’s Upper State title game victory over Blacksburg.
“She is so hard-nosed and competitive, and she is going to show up every game, no matter who we are playing,” Saluda coach Jeanette Wilder said.
Saluda jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the game’s first six minutes. Tiara Daniels hit two 3-pointers during that stretch. Silver Bluff used its pressure defense to work its way back and got within 30-28 in the third quarter before Hill took over.
Hill had 13 points and three rebounds in the third as the Tigers extended their lead to 45-33 heading into the fourth.
“I just saw determination,” Wilder said. “She wanted this so bad and talked about it since they lost in the Upper State championship (in 2020). She gets that tunnel vision and she is going to go after that ball. She wants to make sure the job gets done. And she knows if she gets the ball in her hands she could do that.”
Silver Bluff coach Chasen Redd said they tried things to slow Hill down, including a zone defense early in the game, but nothing worked for long stretches of time.
“She’s a heck of a player. I give her all the credit,” Redd said. “We tried to do everything we could to mix it up and throw different looks at her, and she still was able to get buckets on us. We tried.”
The championship also is special for Wilder, who is in her 21st year at her alma mater, and because of everything she has endured this season. Wilder’s father, Richard Ergle, died Jan. 27 after a battle with COVID-19.
Wilder and 10 members of her family contracted the virus at the funeral, and she was away from her team for three weeks. Like they did in the previous game, Saluda players made a card with a purple heart (the school colors), signed it with “Seat Reserved in Memory of Richard Ergle” and placed it in a seat near mid-court on the opposite side of the Saluda bench.
“We wanted to do this for coach and all she has been through this season,” Hill said.
Mya Carroll added 10 points for Saluda, which out-rebounded Silver Bluff 48-37.
Aaliyah Lawrence led Silver Bluff with 13 points, and Kalyn Glover had 10. The Bulldogs were making their first championship appearance and will return everyone but Glover next season.
S: Mya Carroll 10, Kalisha Hill 34, Nick 4, Daniels 9, Holland 2, Drafts 2. SB: Taylor 3, Cribbs 6, Kalyn Glover 10, Aailyah Lawrence 14, Valentine 7, Johnson 2.
SC Basketball Championships scores, schedule
Wednesday, March 3
Class 2A Girls
Saluda 61, Silver Bluff 41
Class A Boys
Southside Christian 66, Scott’s Branch 45
Thursday, March 4
Class 4A Girls
North Myrtle Beach vs. Westside, noon
Class 3A Boys
Marlboro County vs. Seneca, 3 p.m.
Friday, March 5
Class 5A Girls
Sumter vs. Clover, noon
Class 3A Girls
Keenan vs. Bishop England, 4 p.m.
Class 2A Boys
Christ Church vs. Wade Hampton, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 6
Class 4A Boys
Hilton Head Island vs. South Pointe, noon
Class A Girls
Southside Christian Military Magnet, 4 p.m.
Class 5A Boys
Dorman vs. River Bluff, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 2:04 PM.
