Johnston, SC – The Strom Thurmond High School varsity girls’ basketball team got off to a great start and led their first-round state playoff game against Fairfield Central on Wednesday (Feb. 15) by a score of 13-10 after the first quarter. However, the Lady Griffins heated up from the perimeter en route to a 57-36 win ending the season for the Lady Rebels.

Fairfield Central’s crisp ball movement continued to find open shooters who knocked down shots against the STHS defense. The Lady Rebels attempted to push the tempo, but too many offensive possessions ended in turnovers.

“We didn’t play our best game and they did not miss a lot of shots,” stated STHS Lady Rebels’ Head Coach Dr. Alan Gray. “In the state playoffs these are all of the best teams, so you have to be ready and they played better than we did. I hate that we lost the game like that. It’s disappointing. I don’t think we’ve missed that many free throws all year.”

The Lady Rebels end the season at 11-15 overall and 6-2 in Region 3-AA.

Sunasia Saxon led the scoring for the Lady Rebels against Fairfield Central with a team-high 15 points. Katlyn Chinn added 12 points and Morgan Roberts chipped in with 9 points. Fairfield Central’s Jordyn Adams led all scorers with a game-high 18 points. Jazzlyn McMillian added 16 points and Zamanal Yarborough had 15 points for the Lady Griffins.

Wednesday also marked the final game for Lady Rebels’ senior players MiHailey Miles, Taylor Roberts, Morgan Roberts, and Cleo Heitmann.  

“We definitely want to thank our seniors for a great year and all they have done for our program,” added Coach Gray.