The irony that two Skylar Woodyard free throws saved South River girls basketball against Broadneck on Monday was not lost on the coaches afterward.
To that point, the Seahawks only landed 2 of 11 attempts. It was uncharacteristic of a Seahawks team that’s rolled through Anne Arundel County like an empire, but such was a fitting ending to South River’s most out-of-character game of the season.
The South River girls returned for the last quarter of basketball to beat Broadneck, 36-34, and claim the top spot of the county standings for themselves. After three lifeless frames, including a scoreless second quarter, South River jolted to life, outscoring their earlier versions with 19 points in eight minutes.
The comeback began with words. The Seahawks (17-1) entered Monday’s tilt knowing full well that a loss to Broadneck, which was also unbeaten in county play and hadn’t lost since December, could make them vulnerable to missing the county championship. That pressure, coach and players agree, might have unsettled the mindset they needed to face this game.
“I feel like you have to be a psychiatrist and talk them out of their heads. Sometimes, we’re our own worst enemy,” South River coach Mike Zivic said.
The next step to the comeback was a freshman named Cami Burke.
She toed the line and fired a 3-pointer before Bruins could crash into her. The screams that followed signaled the rally like the crack of a starting gun.
“The energy had been high. I just felt like we needed it,” Burke said. “It didn’t feel real.”
South River tied Broadneck (15-2) at 20 just moments into the fourth quarter. Woodyard drained a 3-pointer while Burke and Karlee Hawkins hit layups. Suddenly, after 24 minutes of very effective Broadneck defense combined with poor shooting, the Seahawks could not miss, taking a 27-20 lead.
“Our confidence got up,” Burke said, “and we were playing as a team more.”
After the 10-0 run, Broadneck responded with a 3-pointer, but the Seahawks punched back. It was not until South River led 34-26 with a minute left that the Seahawks really tripped into trouble.
Sophomore Brianna Snowden turned a steal into a layup and Summer Stroop hit a 3-pointer to get the Bruins within 34-31. But Broadneck couldn’t seize its opportunity before Woodyard went to the foul line to hit two clinching free throws.
Down by five, senior Samantha Miller sunk a trey right as the game ended.
“I think we made every mental mistake possible and tried to give the game away,” Zivic said. “We got out of our system. But hey, we won. That’s the good thing. But there’s a lot to look at.”
Not for a lack of effort, Broadneck’s offense didn’t manage a single basket in the first quarter, scavenging its only two points in the final 2.2 seconds at the foul line. South River let several minutes waste before scoring and, too, didn’t muster much, just 11 points in the frame.
Then, roles, small as they were, reversed.
Snowden dropped in two consecutive baskets for Broadneck and Ginger Kerdock hit one. The Seahawks’ physical forms remained on the floor, but it was as if their souls had left them behind — not one point left some of the county’s most lethal shooters. Twice, South River inexplicably let the shot clock expire.
“We left out probably at least 10, 12 layups we should’ve made,” Zivic said. “Even if we made half of them, it’s a completely different game early. I don’t know what it was. We picked a bad day to not be mentally in it. But we got lucky.”
Broadneck felt certain a halftime reset would change things, and was, at least somewhat, right.
Miller let the halftime lessons fly through her fingers at the third quarter’s start, with a pair of 3-pointers that gave Broadneck its first lead at 14-11.
But even its best-scoring quarter yet — a dozen points — would prove to be far less than the Bruins needed, or were capable of.
“We didn’t communicate like we normally do, even with wide open shots. The defense they played is a little different than [we’re] accustomed to seeing,” Broadneck coach Juan McKinney said. “They weren’t being patient or disciplined with the ball. They forced a lot of turnovers. But these are things we can fix.
“And hopefully we see them again in the county championship.”
South River faces a very good Chesapeake squad Friday and Severna Park Monday. Even with a loss, the Seahawks can still end up in the county championship game.
That said, Zivic never wants to see his team play this way again, or they “will catch a loss.”
“We just got to keep pushing, even when we’re tired,” Burke said. “That’s when it counts. That’s when it means a lot.”