SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield girls basketball team, after battling through injuries and illness in the last week – and a 30-point loss to No. 1 Crater – still stamped their ticket to the state tournament after beating Crescent Valley 54-45 last Friday.
It wasn’t without pain, though, as the Millers weren’t fully recovered. Springfield fans saw a “60%” Darissa Romero-Ah Sam, who played the majority of the game despite her nagging injuries.
“At one point, she kind of came over to me by the sidelines and I saw her face and I said, ‘Don’t you show it – don’t you show it to anybody,” coach Joe Williamson said. “And she didn’t. She’s tough. She stepped up despite the pain. It wasn’t about her points; it’s about how she led the team.”
The Millers were able to set the tempo against the Raiders with a steady lead in the first three quarters that started with a 12-point run from the first quarter into the second. This was driven by leading scorer Sailor Hall’s 3-pointers and Mylah Wilson, who provided quick layups and free throws.
Things shifted when the Raiders heated up in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to three points. The Raiders hit a barrage of 3-pointers while the Millers were dragged down by fouls.
“It definitely didn’t help when Sailor fouled out,” Williamson said. “It took a big piece away from us. Also, we didn’t handle the pressure earlier, so they made a little run and hit some shots and it made it close: a definite playoff atmosphere. So it was a run, but we responded like a team that’s been there before. It got a little closer than I wanted, but man, the team stepped up and pulled through.”
Wilson had a particularly stellar performance, shooting 83% from the free-throw line.
“She’s just got a special spot for me as a coach because she’s been in the program four years,” Williamson said. “She’s stuck with it coming in as a freshman and everything wasn’t perfect always – we coached her hard, but I tell you, she has stepped up her senior year with leadership. When she gets into a rhythm on those free throws, she’s just invaluable.”
Defensive standouts Ikunaday Filipe (6 rebounds) and Iyahna Woodard (5 rebounds) were able to back up Wilson on the boards. Offensively, Hall led the game with 16 points overall and Romero-Ah Sam totaled 14 points.
Up next, the Millers head to Linfield where they’ll face the higher-seeded No. 3 South Albany.
Williamson said he remains confident in the Millers’ success as long as they remain healthy. He highlighted their unexpected success as the eighth seed four years ago.
In addition, Williamson said he can rely on the Millers’ playoff experience and ability to persevere when dealing with another fourth-quarter nailbiter in the future.
“We’ve already gone through the worst,” Williamson said “We’re on the other end of it. I think by next week, we should be good.”
