Waynesville back in final four for first time since 2005

Rachel Murray loves the free throw line.

The Waynesville High School senior and her teammates have spent countless moments in the gym, practicing free throws — knowing they’ll come in handy in big moments. The Spartans’ meticulous practice paid off on Saturday afternoon.

Waynesville went on a 8-2 run down the stretch to beat Purcell Marian 39-35 at Springfield High School to win its first regional championship since 2005.

Murray hit four free throws and senior teammate Lynzie Hartshorn added two more in the final minute to secure the victory for the Spartans, whose last loss came to Versailles in the regional finals at Springfield in 2018.

“Getting to the line was important for me,” Murray said. “We put a big emphasis on free throws throughout the entire season. Getting here, it’s just another day (shooting free throws).”

Waynesville (26-0) advanced to the D-III state semifinals where it will play Doylestown Chippewa (25-1) at 3 p.m. Thursday at Ohio State University’s Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

“I’m speechless,” Murray said. “This has been my dream since I was a little kid. Finally getting to this point, especially with this group of girls, it’s the best feeling ever.”

Berlin Hiland (25-2) will play the winner of Findlay Liberty-Benton and defending state champion Columbus Africentric (25-0) in the other state semifinal at 1 p.m. Thursday.

The D-III state championship game will be held at 10:45 a.m. Saturday in Columbus.

Murray had 13 points and senior Marcella Sizer added 10 for the Spartans.

Amil Ali-Shakir had a game-high 16 points for Purcell Marcian, which finished its season 22-6.

“I’m 100 percent proud of my girls,” said Cavaliers coach Jamar Mosley. “It’s unfortunate it had to end this way. Of course, we would like to be going up to Columbus. Waynesville is a heck of a team. There’s a reason they’re undefeated. They were better for 32 minutes today.”

The Cavaliers led 12-7 early in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans switched to a zone defense, forcing the Cavaliers to shoot from the outside. Waynesville’s Leah Butterbaugh hit a big 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining to give the Spartans a 26-21 halftime lead.

But the Cavaliers wouldn’t go away. Purcell Marian went on a 10-0 run, grabbing a 33-31 lead on a layup by senior Amil Ali-Shakir midway through the fourth quarter.

“We had it happen to us (in the regional semifinal) against Versailles,” said Waynesville coach Tim Gabbard said. “We just knew if we hung in there, we’d comeback and win. They just wanted to win.”

That’s when the Spartans came alive. Sizer’s steal and layup tied the score at 33 and Murray hit four straight free throws to secure a four-point lead.

“That was a big steal and a big play,” Gabbard said. “As soon as we get the lead in the fourth quarter with less than four minutes, we’re not shooting anything but a layup. Our foul shooting percentage is really good.”

The Cavaliers pulled to within two points at 37-35 on a layup by Kya Dukes with about 15 seconds remaining.

Hartshorn hit two more free throws to send the Spartans to Columbus.

“We’ve always been one game at a time,” Murray said. “Now that the next game is at Ohio State, it’s go time. We have to prepare and be ready for this.”

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