Parkway girls steamroll into Division I non-select title game, seeking to finally finish the job
By Buck Ringgold
HAMMOND, La. - All season long, Parkway - especially its standout senior Mikaylah Williams - have dealt with the high expectations bestowed upon the Lady Panthers.
Now, they just have to go finish the job.
Leading by just one point entering the second quarter, the Lady Panthers proceeded to overwhelm their opponent in Thursday’s Division I non-select semifinal, Barbe. Parkway outscored the Lady Bucs in that quarter, 22-5.
The Lady Panthers then continued their onslaught in the second half as they rolled to a 61-28 win at the University Center on the Southeastern Louisiana University campus.
“Basically, I didn’t want my season to end early,” said Williams, the LSU signee and McDonald’s All-American who finished with a double-double in Thursday’s game. “I’m a senior, and these are my last two games of my high school career, so just me wanting to leave a legacy that I built, so I just didn’t want to lose and go out.”
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Parkway (29-5) was eager to return to Hammond after a narrow loss in last season’s title game against Ponchatoula. But it was more than just the drive fueled from that loss that gave the Lady Panthers a sense of resolve.
They felt they really wanted to prove themselves this season. So, as a result, they upgraded their schedule.
“I feel like pressure only comes when you don’t feel prepared, and I feel like this season, we’ve had the tough schedule that we’ve had; going to Texas, going to play (California school) Sierra Canyon and everything, I feel like they’ve built us up for this moment, so I don’t think we feel any pressure here,” Williams said. “We’ve had a tougher schedule (this season), we’ve played better competition, tougher competition, more disciplined competition, so I think we’re prepared.”
Early on, though, the Lady Panthers were far from being unleashed. They found themselves trailing 6-2, and then 10-6.
But Williams helped keep the team afloat, as she proceeded to score five straight points, capped by a three-point play in the closing seconds of the first quarter that put Parkway ahead, 11-10.
It was a lead the Lady Panthers didn’t give up.
Parkway’s Chloe Larry hit two 3-pointers in the early moments of the second quarter, the latter extending the lead to seven, 19-12.
“(Williams), she started off and then she got me going,” said Larry, who finished with 20 points and was 9-of-15 from the field.
The Lady Panthers continued to apply the intensity. Tylissa Henderson came up with a steal and then pulled up for a jumper from 12 feet out to highlight an 8-0 run to end the first half.
That spurt ended when Williams found post player Amoree Williams inside for a finish, giving Parkway a commanding 33-15 halftime advantage.
What turned on the light switch for the Lady Panthers in that second quarter?
“(In the first, we were) not focused, not locked in, and not communicating with one another,” Parkway coach Gloria Williams said. “We had talked about it earlier in this half and one of the coaches said, ‘Give them a couple of minutes; they’ll shake it off,’ and sure enough (the takeover commenced).
“I then (told her assistant), ‘You can’t say that anymore; we’ve got to have it from the jump.’”
Parkway then scored the first six points of the second half, beginning with a 3 from Makenna Miles. The Lady Panthers built their lead to 30 (47-17) by the end of the third quarter.
Defense was another huge factor in the dominant performance from the second quarter on. After allowing four field goals in the first quarter, Parkway gave up four field goals combined the next two quarters.
The Lady Panthers also held Barbe to just 6.7 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line (1-of-15).
“Defend, box out,” Gloria Williams said. “They get one opportunity to score, and that’s anybody. … I think the kids have bought in to that.
“We have a defensive mindset, and so the kids know, you can’t play defense, then come on over there with me because these kids right here are going to lock down and they’re going to defend. That’s what has gotten us here and that’s what we’re going to stick to; we’re going to do what we do.”
Mikaylah Williams finished with 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Parkway held a 48-36 edge on the boards, with Williams getting 10 rebounds as well.
A’rell Williams had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Barbe, while Mikayla Manley grabbed 12 boards to go along with eight points.
Parkway now returns back to play for another title, with hopes of finally securing the program’s first state championship. The Lady Panthers will get a rematch with Ponchatoula for the Division I non-select championship at 8 p.m. Saturday.
For Mikaylah Williams, one big difference in winning this time around may come down to how the team starts things.
“Not having a slow start,” she said. “I feel like we’ve got to come out with a bang, you know, and no more second-chance shots, get good shots, control the clock, stay out of foul trouble and I feel like we’ll be all right.”
Ponchatoula 52, Walker 47
The Lady Wave trailed 25-21 at halftime. They also trailed by seven after three quarters, 43-36.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Ponchatoula, as the Lady Wave outscored the top-seeded Lady Wildcats, 16-4, the rest of the way to get the opportunity to repeat as state champions.
Ponchatoula (25-8) got 18 points from Alyssa Hillard, who narrowly missed a double-double as she grabbed nine rebounds. Taylor Jackson added 13 points, along with six rebounds and five steals.
The Lady Wave also got a boost from Libby Thompson, who had all seven of her points in the final quarter. Thompson grabbed nine boards as well.
Walker was led by Aneace Scott's 12 points. Caitlin Travis added nine points and nine boards.
