BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Raven Bastin hit the go-ahead three-pointer and scored nine points in the fourth quarter to help the Keystone Heights High School girls basketball team rally for a 33-31 win over visiting Baldwin in a Feb. 2 District 3-3A tournament quarterfinal game.
It was Keystone’s first district tournament win in four years.
The fourth seed Indians (12-11) will play a semifinal game on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. against top seed Newberry (18-3) in Newberry. If Keystone wins, it will travel to play either second seed Bradford (13-9) or third seed Palatka (10-10) for the championship on Friday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m.
Keystone held a 9-8 lead over fifth seed Baldwin (4-19) before getting a basket from Rigby Morford off an offensive rebound and two free throws from Daisy Hubbard, who was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound.
Jazalina Vargas made a three-pointer for Baldwin to make it a two-point game before Bastin scored off a Kadence Massey steal to put the Indians up 15-11.
Bastin, who finished with 12 points, later added a free throw to help send Keystone into halftime leading 16-13.
The Indians suffered through a bad third quarter in which they went 0 of 13 from the field and committed 13 turnovers. Baldwin scored 10 points before Alex Papaiannou made a free throw late in the quarter as Keystone trailed 23-17 going into the fourth.
Bastin finally gave the Indians a second-half field goal when she scored a basket 19 seconds into the final quarter. Papaiannou scored off a turnover to make it a 23-21 game.
After Baldwin’s Danasia Johnson knocked down a baseline jumper, Bastin scored off her own steal to keep the margin at two points.
Baldwin got consecutive baskets from Johnson and Jazmine Thomas before Keystone went on a 9-0 run. Massey scored off an offensive rebound with 1:20 remaining and later recorded the assist on a Papaiannou jumper that made it a 29-27 game with 43 seconds left. Bastin came up with a steal and was fouled with 23 seconds on the clock. She made both free throws to tie the score.
A turnover led to a Bastin three-point attempt, which she banked in to give the Indians a 32-39 lead with 16 seconds remaining.
Johnson was fouled on a drive to the basket with seven seconds on the clock. She made both free throws to pull Baldwin to within 32-31.
Papaiannou was fouled two seconds later. She made 1 of 2 free throws to make the score 33-31.
Baldwin didn’t get a chance to tie it up or take the lead as a Massey steal preserved the victory for Keystone.
Papaiannou finished with eight points, while Massey had four. Hubbard and Morford each added four points.
