Shermans Roll Into the D-III Final Four Behind Milee Smith’s 42 Point Show
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It’s been 31-years Unioto reached the Girls State Final Four… that was until Saturday afternoon in a 66-44 win over Bishop Hartley, behind a dazzling 42-point performance by Milee Smith at Ohio Dominican University.
About the photo: Unioto’s Milee Smith wins the opening tip in the Regional Championship Game at Ohio Dominican University
Smith turned her ankle early in the first quarter at mid-floor and the crowd was silenced when she hit the floor. Flashing back to December 4th when the two clubs last met at ODU, Smith had a similar incident. At the time, Coach Jeff Miller decided to pull her from the game to avoid further injury. This time, Smith wasn’t going anywhere.
“I got hurt the last time when we played them” Smith told Litter Media RADIO “and I just wanted to prove something, I just wanted to come out on top as a team. We did that tonight.”
Smith reassured Miller while testing her ankle when she got back on her feet. “When I got out there, she was like ‘I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.’ She’s Milee Smith. That’s all I can say. That might be one of the best single performances I’ve ever seen in the Regional level.”
After a quick respite with the training team, Smith was back in action. She was fouled on a made bucket and hit the free throw. She followed that up with three-point shots, back-to-back-to back. It was a 12-0 run by the three-time SVC Player of the Year. She completed another three-point play before the end of the period shocking the Hawks as the Tanks went ahead 19-7. Smith dropped in another three to start the second – onlookers knew at that point, it was going to be a long day for Hartley.
About the photo: Hartley’s Zakahri Harrison fends off Jillian Mathey while keeping tabs on Millee Smith.
Keyairah Beard scored the game’s first basket. Smith got the opening tip to Magnolia Holbert who laced a pass ahead to Beard and the Shermans were up 2-0 just five seconds into the game. Then the “Smith Show” took center stage. “Milee Smith. Wow!” Beard said in her interview from the floor. “To have a teammate like her – incredible. I’m at a loss for words right now. I prayed about this at the very beginning of the season before our first practice and the faith that this team has and the faith we have in each other that we have – insane.” Beard finished with 12-points.
Hartley closed the first half outscoring Unioto 14-7 but still trailed 26-19.
What was coming, was Smith’s second act. She dropped in 17-points in the third period. Her line on the scorebook looked like a blotted card on Bingo Night. Five field goals, eight 3-pointers and 8-of-10 from the line. Superman has a friend named Milee. She wears a pair multi-colored Nikes and a “25” on her chest.
When the dust settled and Queen’s “We Are the Champions” roared from the ODU speakers, Smith added 42 to her marks in the Unioto annals.
Holbert added 5-points in her duties as running the offense. She described earning the trip to the D-III Final Four is surreal. “I grew up watching Dylan Swingle and all and they got to cut down all these nets and stuff. Our stands are completely packed out. I’m so proud of this team and how far we’ve come.” Finishing out the scoring, Jillian Mathey had 4-points and Kiley Puckett added a three-pointer.
Hartley was led by Pinky Burnett’s 16-points and Zakahri Harrison’s 11.
The Shermans’ 1995 trip to the State Final Four ended in a 47-43 loss to eventual state champ Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary inside Ohio State’s St. John Arena. It was the third appearance for Head Coach Cyndy Driggs, whose 1987 and 1989 teams finished as state runners up.
Sherman fans will begin plotting out their carpools and caravans for the coming week. The Boys will play Circleville in the D-IV Regional Semifinal Wednesday at 6pm in The Convo and the Girls hit the floor at Wright State’s Nutter Center at 1pm Thursday. If both teams continue to win, the Girls D-III State title Friday March 13th at 3:45pm in UD Arena. The Boys D-IV Regional Final is Saturday March 14th at The Convo.
Change the oil and check the air pressure in the tires. There could be a lot of travel between Athens and Dayton Wednesday through Saturday.
