Porter-Gaud senior Elise Pearson scored a game-high 25 points and Asa Synder added 18 to lead the Cyclones past First Baptist, 55-52, in the second round of the SCISA AAA girls state playoffs Tuesday in Sumter.
Pearson missed her first four shot attempts against second-seeded First Baptist. Synder was off on her first three. Porter-Gaud had six different players miss their first attempt of the game.
Tiana Spann paced First Baptist early with six of her team-best 16 points in the opening quarter. The Cyclones, meanwhile, shot 24 percent but trailed just 12-10 by the close of the first frame.
Snyder helped ignite the Cyclones shooting. The freshman hit her final two shots of the first quarter and all three in the second. Both she and Pearson scored seven points in the second quarter to push Porter-Gaud within 25-24 by halftime.
Snyder and Pearson didn’t miss in the third quarter. Pearson scored nine and Synder added a pair of threes as the Cyclones rang up 19 points to move ahead 43-40 heading into the fourth.
First Baptist shot 17 percent in the fourth quarter. Pearson scored six points, going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, to help the Porter-Gaud hang on.
The third-seeded Cyclones will face No. 1 seed and defending champion Cardinal Newman in the state semifinals back at the Sumter Civic Center on Friday.
