Myrtle Beach stifles Stall, earns playoff rematch with Crestwood

A year ago, Myrtle Beach needed a big fourth quarter to defeat Stall in the second round of the playoffs at home.

In the same situation Thursday, there was much less drama.

The Seahawks rode hot starts at the beginning of each half to win 52-34 and advance to the Class AAA girls Elite Eight, keeping their state championship hopes very much alive. And like it has so many other times this season, the team’s offensive spurts were a product of tenacious defense.

“Our man-to-man defense put pressure on the ball,” Dennison said. “We told them second half, if they play defense, the game will just come into our hands.”

Myrtle Beach opened the game by forcing Stall turnovers and off-balance shots. What happened in the third quarter, though, was even more dominant. The Seahawks scored as many points that frame as the Warriors had to that point in the game.

Stall continued to shoot, however, especially from long range. The approach didn’t pan out, though.

Brianne Jones’ team (18-6) missed all eight of their 3-point attempts during the opening quarter and failed to connect on one until there was less than one minute in the game.

It prevented the second-seeded Stall from making it as much of a game as it was a year ago, when the teams were tied after three quarters.

“First half, it wasn’t really good, but second half we had to pick it up because we didn’t want it to be as close as last year,” forward Nia Sumpter said. “We had to prove a point that our defense is really coming along.”

Sumpter’s individual performance also played a significant role, as well. After recording a double-double by halftime – when she had 11 points and 10 rebounds – the junior forward finished with 19 points and 15 boards.

Those numbers came three nights after fellow forward Kiana Adderton scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an opening-round victory over Lakewood.

“We’re waiting to get them all on the same page,” Dennison said. “When that happens, we’ll look like an entirely different team.”

If it does, it would be a tough ask for just about anyone, taking on a squad that has already experienced immense success in the playoffs over the past 15 seasons. Thursday’s win marked the 11th time since 2001-2002 that the Seahawks advanced to at least the third round of the state playoffs. The team has won at least one postseason game every year of that stretch.

In order to do more, Dennison’s team will have to defend its home court one more time. It will play Crestwood at home on Monday in the third round, with a trip to the Lower State finals in Florence on the line.

The game between two of the state’s top four teams in Class AAA was one that Dennison predicted more than a week ago. It is a matchup that also features the top two remaining teams in the Lower State.

“They have their entire team back,” she said. “And we have our entire team back.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach stifles Stall, earns playoff rematch with Crestwood."