Parkway senior Chloe Larry has hit a lot of big shots in her remarkable four-year career, but none bigger than the one she hit Thursday night.
Closely guarded with two hands in her face, the left-handed Larry swished a shot from a little longer than halfcourt at the buzzer in overtime to give the Lady Panthers a stunning 64-63 victory over No. 1 seed Walker in the non-select Division I semifinals at Southeastern Louisiana’s University Center.
“The Silent Assassin strikes again,” Parkway Head Coach Gloria Williams said in the postgame press conference.
Defending champion Parkway (30-6) is in a state championship game for the the third straight year. The No. 5 seed Lady Panthers will face No. 2 Denham Springs (29-4) for the title Saturday at 6 p.m. The Lady Jackets defeated No. 3 Mandeville 46-39 in the other semifinal.
Walker, which had a 33-game winning streak snapped, finished 35-2.
The Lady Wildcats led 63-59 after making one of two free throws with 27.9 seconds left in overtime.
The Lady Panthers missed a 3-pointer but got the rebound and scored with 5.2 seconds left.
After a timeout, Parkway immediately fouled. With 4.2 seconds left, the Lady Wildcats missed two free throws.
“We were at free throw line and we were saying if they make the shot we were going to run a play called four across,” she said. “But then I was like we don’t have time for that. They’re probably going to help. It’s probably going to get stolen so just give me the ball.
“And then they missed it actually and we got it and I ran and I just threw it up. We actually practiced it earlier today and, hey, I made it.”
Said Williams: “I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s worked on that shot all of her life. For it to go in at the right time, at the right moment, hats off to Chloe.”
Larry was immediately mobbed by her teammates.
“I was in shock,” she said at the press conference. “I was emotional. I don’t know. I’m still in shock right now.”
Larry finished with a game-high 29 points.
Walker came into the game a heavy favorite. The Lady Wildcats’ only loss was to Texas power Duncanville in the third game of the season.
At the end of the third quarter, it looked like they would live up to their top seed, leading 53-38.
But Williams knew her team wasn’t out of it.
“That’s a lot of time left on the clock in basketball,” she said. “Got to keep playing and chip at it a little bit at a time and I think we did that. And we had some stops and we had some baskets that finally started to go in and fall for us. So we were able to score. We were able to make those runs.
“I think we held off on the press for as long as we could and I think we started pressing at the right time and it just kind of peaked for us in the fourth quarter.”
Parkway scored the first 13 points of the final quarter to get within two.
Both Larry and Dakota Howard played with four fouls for much of the second half and all of overtime. Howard went to the bench after picking up her fourth in the third quarter.
She returned in the fourth. Walker Head Coach Korey Arnold said she made a big difference in the game.
Howard, who fouled out late in overtime, finished with 14 points and 13 big rebounds.
Parkway tied the game at 57 on a shot by Larry with 2:15 left. Both teams had opportunities to take the lead but neither scored the rest of regulation.
Williams said she was nervous going into overtime because of the foul trouble.
“I was a lot nervous,” she said at the press conference with Larry and Howard at her side. “I had two of my main players with four fouls. I told them when they got the four fouls you’ve got to be careful and not foul. Anybody on the floor can foul except these two.”
Ray’Onna Sterling, who led Walker with 25 points, converted a 3-point play with 51.9 seconds left to give her team a 62-59 lead.
The Lady Wildcats blocked a shot on the other end. Parkway fouled with 27.9 seconds left. That set up the frenetic finish.
Parkway trailed by three at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Panthers were down by seven in the second but rallied to tie.
Walker finished the first half with a 9-2 run and a 31-24 lead. The Lady Wildcats dominated the third quarter, but Parkway owned the fourth with a 19-4 run.
Savannah Wilson scored 12 points for Parkway. Zara Baker-Scanlon added nine.
“Hats off to the ladies because they sold it,” Williams said. “I’m on the sideline and they’re on the court actually doing the work and they got out there and they sold it.”
“Savannah played her part,” Williams said. “Jas (Jasmine Hendrix), No. 10, she actually fouled out but she hustled. I mean everyone bought in.”