Nothing was going right for the Smyrna girls in the first half of their state semifinal game on Wednesday night.
The Eagles couldn’t seem to make a shot. Cape Henlopen couldn’t seem to miss.
Smyrna was down by as many as 17 points, and trailed by 15 over halfway through the third quarter.
But the game wasn’t over.
With their backs against the wall, the Eagles erupted.
Jackie Jenkins’ three-point shooting sparked a furious comeback late in the third.
With 3:40 remaining in the fourth, Betnijah Laney hit a jumper to give Smyrna its first lead of the game.
From there, the Eagles sank the clutch free throws in the closing minutes and held on for an improbable 59-55 come-from-behind victory.
With that win, the Smyrna girls earned a spot in Friday’s state championship game.
“I think we were nervous,” said Smyrna head coach James Kiger on his team’s rough start. “I knew Cape would come out with emotion. They really wanted to beat us. ... We couldn’t get anything to drop.”
But the Eagles weathered the storm and worked their way back into the game.
“I think our girls really dug down deep,” Kiger said.
Smyrna High junior Jackie Jenkins said her teammates were down at first when they went into the locker room at halftime, but “then we talked about what we needed to do to get back up.”
Jenkins didn’t make a shot until late in the second quarter, but Coach Kiger didn’t want her to pass up open looks.
“He told me ‘keep shooting,’” Jenkins said.
In the second half, Jenkins hit a trio of three pointers that really lifted the Eagles.
“She’s the smallest kid on the court, with the biggest heart,” Kiger said.
Eagles complete stunning comeback
Cape led 15-4 after one quarter of play, and extended that lead to 20-4 early in the second quarter of Wednesday’s semifinal.
The Vikings’ advantage climbed as high as 17 points before the Eagles started to find some rhythm.
Smyrna made up some ground with a six-point run, which started with a lay in scored by Jasmine Hilliard. Laney hit a jumper, then stole the ball on the other end of the court and made the lay up on a fast break.
But just when it seemed Smyrna was getting back into the game, Cape came back with a big three pointer that made the score 31-15.
Jenkins cut the lead with a three-pointer shortly before halftime.
Still, the Eagles went into the locker room trailing by 13.
Smyrna couldn’t stop Cape’s Johnesha Warren, who scored 19 points in the first half.
Early in the third quarter, Quontay Hicks drilled a three for the Eagles, but Smyrna still wasn’t catching up with the Vikings, who led 38-25 with under three minutes left in the third quarter.
That’s when Jenkins hit back-to-back three pointers and made it a 7-point game.
That margin remained the same at the end of three quarters, with Cape ahead 42-35.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jenkins hit another three that made the score 42-39 and brought the Smyrna fans to their feet.
Laney tied the game at 45-45 from the free throw line.
Cape regained the lead, but Ross came back with a lay in that tied the game again. Then she blocked a shot and grabbed the ball to give the Eagles another possession.
Then Laney hit a jumper to give Smyrna its first lead of the game, 49-47, with 3:40 to go.
That lead grew as the Smyrna girls scored from the free throw line.
Ross hit a pair of foul shots, Alexis Fearrington made one, and the Eagles led 52-47 with 1:12 left.
The Vikings got back to within 53-52, but Fearrington drew another foul and made both shots to give Smyrna a 55-52 lead with 33 seconds left.
Cape’s three-point attempt missed, and this time Jenkins drew the foul. She, too, made both shots, and the Eagles led 57-52 with 13 seconds to play.
But Cape hit a three to make it a 2-point game with just 9 seconds left, and the crowd remained on edge.
On the other end of the court, Laney hit a pair of free throws and extended the lead to four, which finally put the game away.
In second half, Smyrna did a much better job of containing Cape’s Warren, who finished with 25 points.
Smyrna outscored the Vikings 41-24 in the second half.
“We picked each other up, and locked down on defense,” said Laney, who led the Eagles in scoring with 21 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.
Ross scored 13 points, pulled in 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots over the course of the game.
Jenkins finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Quontay Hicks also sank a three pointer for the Eagles. Jasmine Hilliard and Alexis Fearrington scored four points each.
The Eagles’ state semifinal victory was their third win of the season against Cape Henlopen. Smyrna beat the Vikings twice in the regular season, and those games were also close ones.
Smyrna to face Sanford on Friday for state title
For the first time in program history, the Smyrna High girls’ basketball team will compete in the championship game of the DIAA state tournament.
In the other semifinal on Wednesday, No. 2 seed Sanford (18-4) defeated No. 6 seed Ursuline, 57-41.
Smyrna and Sanford will play for the state championship on Friday, March 12 at the Carpenter Center. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
