St. James pulls off upset over No. 3 Wilson

Excuse Stan Patterson if he was a tad emotional Tuesday night.

Stepping into the locker room where his team was gathered, the St. James girls basketball coach asked his squad, “You like that? How do you like that?”

If the Sharks’ joyous screams were any indication, they didn’t just like the result of their matchup with Class AAAA’s No. 3-ranked team Wilson – they loved it.

Given nothing more than a puncher’s chance by most, St. James seniors Kelsi Bachmann and Kimmie Hotzelt scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, along with making a number of key plays down the stretch that allowed the Sharks to come away with a 53-49 upset of the Tigers.

“We fought hard, and fought hard and fought hard … it’s about time one of these fell our way,” Patterson said. “… Coming into (Bachmann and Hotzelt’s) senior year, we figured we would have to rely on them a lot. But they showed a lot of leadership tonight, especially down the stretch knocking down shots and playing solid defense. It was really key for us.”

St. James set the tone early on, jumping out to a 12-1 lead in the game’s opening minutes. But as expected, Wilson made a run of its own, closing the Sharks’ lead to two at halftime and tying the game at 38-38 to end the third quarter.

A few seconds into the fourth, the Tigers took their first lead of the game, courtesy of a pair of Bryanna Goodson free throws. Blessed with a 42-39 advantage, it seemed Wilson was primed to run away with the game, just as it had in its three prior Region VII-AAA contests.

However, every time momentum strayed over to the Tigers’ bench, Bachmann and Hotzelt would knock down a key shot to stem the tide.

Hotzelt was first, burying a 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of a Wilson defender to tie the game at 42-all. Following a Tigers bucket, it was Bachmann’s turn, as her shot from long range hit the bottom of the net, giving the Sharks a 45-44 lead.

The pair would combine to knock down six 3-pointers in the game.

Wilson would again find itself out front in the game’s final two minutes, up 49-48. Needing a defensive stop to put the game on ice, the Tigers were unable to do it, losing sight of St. James center Kaswanna Haynes, whose lay-up put the Sharks ahead 50-49 with a minute to go.

The Tigers had opportunities to tie or take the lead in the game’s final minute but were unable to knock down key free throws. Conversely, St. James’ Abigail Rumpf made the most of her opportunities at the charity stripe, knocking down 4 of 5 free throws in the fourth quarter, including a pair that put the game away.

“We spotted (St. James) 10 points (early) and missed nine free throws,” said Wilson girls head coach Gerrin Harrison following the loss, lamenting upon her team’s missed opportunities.

D’Asia Gregg led the way for Wilson with 12 points in a losing effort. Bryanna Goodson was the only other Tiger in double-figures with 10 points on the night.

As for Patterson’s squad, the win propels the Sharks into a first-place tie with Myrtle Beach, and most importantly offers his team a shot in the arm heading into the second round of region basketball games.

“Sports is about being confident in what you’re trying to do out there, and I think this will certainly help our girls a whole lot,” he said. “But we know we have to get out there and get back to work tomorrow.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 12:21 AM with the headline "St. James pulls off upset over No. 3 Wilson."