Spring Valley girls cruise into Upper State finals

Spring Valley walked into Dorman and proved why it’s the defending 4A state champion.

The Vikings had a double-digit lead four minutes into the game and never looked back to take a decisive 95-46 road win in the third round of the girls basketball playoffs on Monday night.

Spring Valley (25-2) will face Rock Hill in the Upper State championship on Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.

“It’s the playoffs,” Spring Valley coach Anne Long said. “Of course these girls would love to repeat if they could. At this point in time, you do what you do and you go with what you got. In all respect for what Coach Valorie Whiteside has done for Dorman, it was game time.”

Spring Valley led 12-2 with 4:00 left in the first quarter. That increased to 30-9 going into the second quarter. Dominique Hill connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Vikings a 49-18 advantage at the half. Anaja Matthews, Shantay Taylor and Hill were each in double figures at the break.

“I was proud of the girls,” Long said. “They came in on a mission, and they played well defensively. They had a great time. It was probably one of our best games.”

Taylor led all scorers with 22 points, while Christian Hithe added 17. Taylor Lewis had 16 points, Matthews finished with 14 and Hill netted 12.

Matthews gave Spring Valley their largest lead at the time at 68-27 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. The Vikings led 72-37 going into the final quarter.

Dorman (19-6) was led by Sam Penson with 12 points, seven of which came in the first quarter. Jasmine Webb added eight points, while Alexis Rice and Alex Washington each had six points.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Spring Valley girls cruise into Upper State finals."