MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The dream of a USA South title is still alive for the Piedmont College women's basketball team in Tennessee as the Lady Lions held off No. 3 seed Ferrum College 64-62 in the Semifinals of the USA South Championship Tournament on Friday evening.
Piedmont needed its defense to come up big on the last possession, and the Lady Lions were up to the task forcing a turnover by Zarkia Mattox to preserve a two-point lead in the final seconds and earn its way to the title game on Saturday.
PC will face tourney host Maryville College for the third time this season in that championship game as the Scots defeated LaGrange 61-36 to prevail as the tourney's top seed. Piedmont is the No. 2 seed in the field as the two split their pair of meetings this season with each team winning on its home floor.
Against Ferrum, it was Carly Sales who led the team again with her 13 points, seven of which came at the charity stripe where she was 7-of-8 for the game. Le'Shaunda Jones added 11 points while Carlie Shields was the third Lady Lion in double figures with ten points of her own.
Piedmont trailed in the early going by ten midway through the first before going on a 23-2 run over the next ten minutes of play to turn the tide in the semifinal match-up. Ferrum made a run of its own at the end closing to within just one point after a pair of Jessie O'Conner free throws with 14 seconds left.
However, PC's Sales earned a trip to the line on the Lady Lions' next possession and hit 1-of-2 to make it a two-point ball game with just 11 seconds remaining. Ferrum would have a chance to tie or win coming out of a timeout, but Piedmont's defense stood tall forcing a turnover on the final play to preserve the win and head to the championship.
A third showdown with No. 1 seed and the tourney host, Maryville College, who is currently ranked 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Scots and the Lady Lions split a pair of regular season meetings with each winning on its home floor. Tip-off in Saturday's championship game is set for 2 p.m.
