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The Lady Bears held fourth-ranked Spring Garden to just four first-half points (two each in the first and second quarters) to earn a 38-25 victory.

The win secured KeithÐÔÊӽ紫ý third state title and first since 1990. It also ended Spring GardenÐÔÊӽ紫ý 25-game winning streak.

“We try to approach every game trying to make teams do what we want to do on both ends of the floor. We never did get that feeling on either end of the floor. Our defense couldn’t control them,â€� Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin said. “Offensively, we just couldn’t make plays. We couldn’t make shots, and boy, if that ball doesn’t go through the basket, itÐÔÊӽ紫ý ugly on that end of the floor.â€�

Keith (27-5) jumped out to a 7-0 lead to begin the game. Spring Garden (33-3) didn’t score its first bucket until 3:19 left in the first quarter on a layup by eighth grade forward Payton McGinnis.

The Lady Panthers’ only other bucket of the first half was a layup by junior point guard Madison Sides with 2:04 to go before halftime.

But as much as Spring Garden struggled to score, the Lady Panthers were only down 16-4 at intermission.

“After reviewing game film, I kind of noticed they like to run everything through the big girl (Tykeah Rogers) in the middle,� Keith coach Cecil Williams said. “If they can’t get it to her, everybody likes to sink in and shoot the 3-ball.

“With our inside being as strong as it was, I put most of the weight on my guards to control the 3-ball. We could take them making the shots on the inside, but the 3-ball will kill you. The 3-ball was off, and defensively on the inside we played very well. ThatÐÔÊӽ紫ý what gave us the edge in the first half. After that, we controlled the game. If they made a mistake defensively, we just made our layups.â€�

As Williams said, Spring Garden never could get its outside shooting going either. The Lady Panthers were 0-for-6 shooting treys in the first half and finished the game going 1-for-14.

“We had some decent looks,� Austin said. “Usually, when we don’t make those, Tykeah does a great job holding us together. She was up against some bigger, stronger kids than we’re used to playing, and I think it really affected her. They did a great job defending her.�

Rogers, held scoreless in the first half, finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

“They were a lot stronger and more aggressive than I’m used to. I think they defended me very well,� Rogers said. “I think I just got a little tense and didn’t play my game as well as I was supposed to.�

The junior center tried to create a spark in the first two minutes of the third quarter, along with senior guard Darian Gaines. Two buckets by Rogers and a 3-pointer by Gaines at the 6:17 mark guided the Lady Panthers on a 7-2 run.

Gaines’ trey brought Spring Garden within seven at 18-11, but the Lady Bears closed out the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 27-11 advantage heading to the fourth.

“I thought at the start of the third quarter we come out like a good team is supposed to, with a spark,� Austin said. “I thought we were ready to make a little run at it, and maybe we did, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the problems they were presenting for us.�

Keith junior point guard Harriet Winchester led the Lady Bears with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. She was named the Class 1A girls’ state tournament Most Valuable Player.

Junior power forward Zykia Pettway added 12 points and 10 rebounds. She was also selected to the all-tournament team.

Rogers and Gaines, who finished with three points before fouling out, represented Spring Garden as all-tournament selections.

Although disappointed her team couldn’t claim Spring GardenÐÔÊӽ紫ý first state championship since 2008 and fifth in school history, Gaines said “it meant a lot to get here.â€�

“My whole career, Coach Rat (Austin) has pushed me to be the best I could be. I thank him for that,� she said. “I love my team. They’re like the sisters I never had. I wouldn’t want to come down here with anybody else but them.�