Cathedral Academy dominates Beaufort Academy to claim SCISA 2A title

SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA – Cathedral Academy exploded on offense en route to its 68-33 win over Beaufort Academy in the SCISA 2A girl’s basketball championship, Saturday at the Sumter Center.

After losing in last year’s 1A championship game, the Generals finished the job this time thanks to an explosive barrage of three-pointers.

“I'm so proud of these girls after last year,” said Generals head coach Chris Pouyat. “They had that fire in their gut. They weren't gonna let it get away this year.”

Guard Jalyn Almeida led the team with 22 points and five assists. She hit four three-pointers in the first quarter to help her team build a double-figure lead in the first quarter.

“I'm so excited,” Almeida said. “We worked so hard for this.”

Guard Claire Griffen scored 17 points and had seven rebounds, and guard Paige Pouyat scored nine points to help balance the Cathedral Academy scoring effort.

“We were hitting our threes, swinging the ball, sharing it,” Almeida said.

Cathedral led by 11 points at the end of the first quarter. Almeida had 14 of her points in this period.

The Generals hit two quick three-pointers to start the second quarter, and Beaufort couldn’t keep up. The Eagles took plenty of threes to try and keep with Cathedral, but they rarely found the bottom of the net.

The Generals expanded their lead to 20 with three minutes until halftime. Cathedral’s ability to force turnovers and run the break helped grow its advantage.

Cathedral went into halftime with all the momentum, especially after guard Saniya Sanders cashed a buzzer-beating three.

For the rest of the game, the Generals increased their lead.

The lead sat at 29 after three quarters, and when it was all said and done, Cathedral won by 35 points.

Two Buefort players scored double figures. Tahleea Heyward and Mike'ala Washington had 10 points each.

The Eagles conclude their 2022-23 season as the 2A runner-up after going 16-11 overall and 8-0 in region play.

The win marks the end of a long season for Cathedral. The Generals finished 22-7 on the year and a perfect 10-0 in region play.

Almedia said the team was confident the season would end in a state title.

“It was really difficult, but we knew we had it,” she said.

Pouyat said he is hoping this year’s title is just the beginning for this group.

The team has no seniors and is expected to return every single player, including Almedia.

“I just can't believe how young this team is and what they accomplished,” Pouyat said. “We're all back next year. I'm so excited.”