Lady Leopards win

HAMPTON - With four starters on the floor suffering leg cramps throughout the second half, the Norphlet Lady Leopards fought off their toughest challenge of the season to remain unbeaten and win the 2A South Regional championship Saturday night over Spring Hill 67-54. Norphlet improved to 31-0 on the season. The Lady Bears lost for the first time, falling to 28-1. Junior forward Ashalei Conway pumped in 26 points to go with eight rebounds. Jalisha Willis scored 18 with Anna Bolding, Samantha Marshall and Kalisha Willis contributing nine, eight and six, respectively. Norphlet built a 9-5 lead as it led, nearly, from wire-to-wire. Marshall’s 3-pointer put the Lady Leopards up 18-16 after one quarter. Rachel Nedina, Spring Hill’s junior point guard, kept the Lady Bears step-for-step in the game. Her 3-pointer cut the lead to 26-23. Moments later, she threaded a bounce pass through traffic to Jamie Nance for a layup with 3:30 left in the half. The Lady Leopards answered with free throws by Jalisha Willis before Bolding cranked a 3-pointer as Norphlet led 34-31 at the half. The lead was 38-36 midway in the third before Conway seized control, beating the Lady Bears down the floor for a pair of layups in her own personal 10-3 spurt. Conway’s rebound and putback put Norphlet up 48-39 with 2:22 left in the third, which ended with the Lady Leopards up 50-43. The margin was 52-45 when Spring Hill rallied. Lauren Kidd scored inside. After a free throw by Nedina, Claire McMaster hit a jumper, then pulled up from downtown for a 3-point bomb, giving the Lady Bears a 53-52 lead with 4:12 left in the game. On the ensuing possession, Conway kicked out to Bolding, who answered with a 3-pointer, triggering a 7-0 spurt. Jalisha Willis scored before Conway went baseline for a lefty reverse layup, giving the Lady Leopards control with a 59-53 cushion with 1:50 left to play. Norphlet put the game away with an 8-2 spurt to end the game. Nedina led Spring Hill with 17 points with Kidd adding 14.