Memorial Magic

Ruston proved it's never out of the fight.

That much was clear in the Lady Bearcats' 50-48 comeback win over No. 10 Natchitoches Central Monday at Memorial Gym, sending No. 7 Ruston (25-7) on to the Division I nonselect quarterfinals.

Trailing by 11 with under two minutes left in the third, with only one made field goal in the frame, Ruston looked to be on the ropes. But like any playoff run, sometimes you need to believe anything is possible. Advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in two years and needing a double-digit comeback to boot?

No problem, not when you carry as much belief as the Lady Bearcats do.

Ruston kept chipping away in the final minutes of the third, trailing by nine entering the last eight minutes.

Jaliyah McWain put in two straight jumpers to cut it to 43-38. Then Zaccheya Jackson hit free throws to make it 43-40. Ella Kate Jones hit a turnaround floater, only for Jackson to come up big with a tying three-pointer with 2:20 left.

Natchitoches Central answered back with a three of its own to lead 48-45 with 1:40 to go. 

That's when McWain took over and willed her team's belief into two clutch plays – the first a stepback three at the top of the key to tie it at 48-48 with a 1:00. It was her first and only three of the game.

Then, with 12.8 seconds left, McWain went to the rim with a full head of steam and was fouled. The senior, with the roaring Natchitoches Central fans blaring and the quiet tension of Ruston on the other side of the gym, swished both free throws for the 50-48 lead and win.

It was Ruston's first lead of the game since briefly taking a 21-19 advantage with 5:00 left in the second quarter.

Comeback complete. Belief rewarded. 

"I can not say enough about the will of our players, the heart they showed tonight," Ruston girl's basketball coach Meredith Graf said postgame. "That's probably one of the best performances we had all year. Truly, just grind it out, don't stop believing. And Natchitoches Central is one hell of a team. And I know them very well and I have as high as you can have respect for them. I told my girls before the game it's going to be a dogfight. And it was."

McWain scored 9 of her 19 total points in the fourth, leading Ruston on a 21-13 run over the final 11:51 of the game from the end of the third till the game's end. 

Through two playoff wins, McWain has 39 total points.

And while her late playmaking proved to be the difference, she wouldn't have had a chance if not for the effort of Kiersynce McNeal, Ella Kate Jones, and Jackson as the trio worked in tandem to secure a loose ball off a steal from McNeal to give Ruston possession with 26.8 seconds left – setting up the eventual drive for McWain.

Jackson finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals, while Jones had 10 points and 3 rebounds. McNeal added 7 points, along with the late steal.

It was plays, and players like that left Graf in tears postgame.

"I feel like there were so many scrappy plays like that. To have the desire to come up with the ball and in these critical moments. Those 50/50 balls, it makes all the difference."

Graf, who had never beaten her former school Natchitoches Central before Monday night, told her team before the game the matchup was personal. She wanted it. Her players wanted it for her.

A combination like that left Graf choked up as she talked about the heroics of McWain down the stretch and her belief to will the team to victory.

"The thing is, this whole team I could have given them all a bear hug. I'm extremely proud of her," Graf said of McWain. "She did so many mature things for us tonight. Her and Zaccheya just handling the ball and what we ask of them. It's special when you've seen somebody grow ... it meant a lot.

"Whenever you're somebody who's put in work, we tell them all the time shooters keep shooting. You gotta keep believing and they really did. And that to me was everything. Yes, the shotmaking ability but the belief that we could get back in it. Not everybody has that when you're up against a quality team like that."

The tense final moments were just like the first half and the teams engaged in a back and forth battle in the first half with four lead changes.

Natch came out pressing but Ruston was able to break it with Jaliyah McWain's first step proving too quick for the Chiefs to handle, helping Ruston on an early 7-0 run to lead 15-10 in the first quarter. Natchitoches stuck with it and punched back with a 5-0 run of its own to tie it at 15-15 after the first.

In the scond quarter, Natchitoches jumped ahead 19-15 but Ruston had its own run to briefly take a 21-19 lead with 5:00 left before half. The teams traded blows, with the Chiefs taking advantage of multiple offensive rebounds to pull ahead 28-25 at halftime.

Ruston will now travel to face No. 2 Denham Springs in the Division I nonselect quarterfinals, with the winner heading to state.