Myrtle Beach rallies to beat Archer, reach CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational semifinals

Archer (Ga.) led the Myrtle Beach girls basketball team by as many as 15 points in the first half Saturday.

And while the Seahawks bent, they didn’t break. They actually thrived under pressure.

Myrtle Beach used a dominant second-half performance to take down the Tigers, 51-45, to stay undefeated and advance to the semifinals of the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

“I told the girls at halftime, ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard and just have heart,’ ” Seahawks coach Jennifer Dennison said. “The team with the most heart was going to finish out the game and get the big win.”

The Seahawks received the message.

Early in the second half, they went on a 21-4 run to give themselves just their second lead of the game, 38-37, with a little over five minutes to play.

Then, after four lead changes two ties, Myrtle Beach junior Kiana Adderton hit a jumper and Kyerra Adderton hit a free throw to give the Seahawks a two-point lead with just 52 seconds left.

Jalah Horton then hit a gutsy shot with 27 seconds remaining to give Myrtle Beach a 47-43 advantage and the Seahawks never looked back.

“We had a great team effort. In the second half, we played a lot better and defense was the key,” Dennison said. “They played together and we were finishing baskets in the second half that we weren’t getting in the first half. I’m just proud of them for the defensive pressure they put on them and for their effort, bringing us right back in this game.”

Seahawks junior Nia Sumpter posted 17 points and seven rebounds, junior Kiana Adderton scored 11, and senior Keocia Walker had 11 of her 14 points in the second half to lead the way for Myrtle Beach.

“After this win – compared to the last win – I’m real proud of the girls. We stuck together like we always do,” Walker said. “We weren’t playing together as a team at first, but after this win it’s obvious who Myrtle Beach is and the heart we have.”

Walker is proving to be a key cog for the Seahawks as she also came up big in Myrtle Beach’s win over Christ the King (N.Y.) in the first round, putting up 15 points and hitting some clutch shots down the stretch.

“Me, personally, I don’t like to lose,” Walker said. “So I’m going to do everything I can to help the team. And with the team we have, [Archer] never should have got the lead like they did. But we responded well. We just need to come out stronger in the first half and keep it going for the whole game.”

Autumn Newby paced the Tigers with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Linsey Marchese had eight points and 13 rebounds. Archer will take on Center Point (Ala.) in a consolation game Monday at 3:15 p.m.

For just the second time in school history, the Seahawks have reached the semifinals, where they will meet Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida according to MaxPreps.com.

It’ll be a tall task, but Myrtle Beach is on a roll.

“We want to make history,” Walker said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach rallies to beat Archer, reach CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational semifinals."