By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Church wasn’t for another 12 hours, but Ashlynn Helton requested spiritual assistance as she stood on the free throw line Saturday night.
With Miller’s season at stake, Helton prepared to shoot the two biggest free throws of her career.
“I was really standing there, saying my Hail Mary’s. Just like, ‘Please let this go in,’” Helton said.
Helton’s prayers were answered.
Her free throws with 4.1 seconds left were the decisive points in Miller’s thrilling 54-53 victory over Ash Grove in the Class 2 District 12 Tournament championship game.
Miller’s free throw quantity made the difference on Saturday night. The Lady Cardinals were 20-for-33 at the line overall, while Ash Grove went 7-for-16.
Helton was 5-for-8 herself, with all five makes coming in the fourth quarter.
“That was my first time ever having to shoot under pressure like that,” Helton said. “My heart rate was through the roof. I told my teammates, ‘I’m not going to remember any of this later.’ I just blacked out.”
Junior forward Loghann Leivan led four Miller players in double figures with 13 points.
The Lady Cardinals (19-7 overall, No. 9 in MBCA Class 2 poll) have won seven straight district titles.
“It does not get old,” said Miller coach Ryan White. “Each year, you get new (players). Freshmen have never experienced a district championship, and now they have tonight.”
For some Miller players, district championships run in the family. Helton’s older sister, Kaylee, was a 2022 MHS graduate who helped start the current district title streak. Kaylee’s now an assistant coach for the Lady Cardinals.
“I grew up watching my sister play on the first four (teams),” Helton said. “Just seeing her do it, I learned a lot. I feel like all these other girls have, too, just watching it.”
Miller will play at Marionville on Tuesday, March 4 in a Class 2 sectional matchup. The Lady Cardinals need two more wins to do something they’ve yet to accomplish during this seven-year stretch: Make the final four.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“We don’t try to talk about it. Deep down, we know,” White said. “We try not to look forward. Because if you look forward, you lose tonight.”
In a second half filled with lead changes, Ash Grove was seconds away from ending Miller’s district title streak.
Sophomore wing Bristol Lathrop made two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining to put the Lady Pirates ahead 53-52. But Ash Grove committed a foul on the ensuing in-bound pass.
Helton walked to the other end of the floor and sank two free throws – the second make coming after a timeout – for the game-winning points. Ash Grove drove the length of the court, but a contested runner from the elbow was no good as time expired.
“We weren’t supposed to foul there at the end. I should’ve called a timeout,” said Ash Grove coach Bryan Dean. “(Miller) looked scrambled and we were jumping (Helton) quick to not let her get the ball. I thought we had it. As a coach, you always look back. I should’ve called timeout and handled it differently, but I thought (Miller) was going to be a little panicked and rushed.”
Sophomore Millison Sapp led Ash Grove with 19 points. The Lady Pirates were seeking their first district championship since 2021.
“We just didn’t get over the hump,” Dean said. “I thought, for us, we were primed for that opportunity to get over the hump. Because we’re playing good and we’re playing for each other.
“I wish I could’ve done something better to help the girls get one of these. Especially this group.”
Early on, Ash Grove seemed ready to dethrone Miller.
Back-to-back 3s from Brooke Nicholson and Sapp gave Ash Grove a 26-17 lead late in the second quarter. Ash Grove made five 3-pointers in the period.
The Lady Cardinals scored eight straight to pull within 26-25 by halftime.
“We fill our schedule with really tough teams,” Helton said. “One time, we were down by 18 at halftime and came back and won by one point. Filling our schedule with those games really prepared us for this postseason.”
Said White: “These girls never panic because they’ve been in big moments and big games before.”
Early season injuries turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Lady Cardinals. Miller’s leading scorers (Helton and Leivan) missed the first seven weeks of the season due to injury.
“If they’re not hurt at the beginning of the season, that nine-point deficit tonight seems like a lot more,” White said. “Because they were hurt early in the year, we were able to practice without them. We had to play without them, and when we got them back, it was good for us.”
Miller has now won nine straight versus Ash Grove, including a 54-51 conference win at home in early February.
Ash Grove finishes 17-9 overall and returns its top two scorers next season in Sapp and Lathrop. The Lady Pirates graduate two seniors: Cora Duit and Myah Johnson.
“Cora is an unsung hero for us. People don’t see it on the stats, but she’s the heart of the team,” Dean said.
Miller 54, Ash Grove 53
Miller 10 15 10 19 — 54
Ash Grove 7 19 10 17 — 53
Miller (19-7 overall) – Loghann Leivan 13, Rachel Nunez 11, Ashlynn Helton 10, Layni Johnson 10, Kendall Neely 9, Kaylee Thom 1
Ash Grove (17-9 overall) – Millison Sapp 19, Bristol Lathrop 13, Brooke Nicholson 10, Cora Duit 4, Myah Johnson 4, Alivia Duit 3
