Despite unceremonious exits from the regional tournament the last two years, the mission remains the same for the Spring Garden girls’ basketball team.

Return to the state tournament and reclaim their rightful place atop the smaller classifications.

The second-ranked Panthers offered no mercy as they dominated the interior for a 71-30 victory over Winterboro in Monday’s Class 1A Northeast Regional semifinal at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Spring Garden (34-1) fell behind in the first minute, following a made 3-pointer from Winterboro’s Ketelyn Jones, but went on a 23-4 run the remainder of the opening frame to claim a 23-7 lead entering the second period. Ace Austin powered the Panther run with 12 points, followed Kayley Kirk with five points.

The Bulldogs were able to score the first basket for a second straight period and held Spring Garden to only 13 points in the frame. However, Winterboro had only three made field goals itself and was unable to cut into the Panthers’ double-digit halftime lead.

Spring Garden opened the second half with an 8-4 run, building a 44-17 lead midway through the third period and closed out the frame with an 8-3 run to claim a 19-point lead entering the final stanza. The Bulldogs scored 10 points in the third period for their only double-digit output of the game.

The Panthers put the finishing touches on their regional semifinal rout in the final period, scoring the opening points on a layup from Maggie Jarrett and closing out the game with a 15-4 run.

Did you know? Spring Garden advances to its ninth straight regional final while seeking its eighth state title. The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 state tournaments but have lost in the regional finals the last two seasons.

By the numbers: Spring Garden shot 49.2 percent overall, forced 21 turnovers resulting in 23 points and held a plus-30 advantage on inside scoring and a plus-21 edge in rebounding. Winterboro was held to 26.7 percent from the field and had only three players score in the game.

Stat sheet: Spring Garden – Austin had a game-high 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting, adding seven rebounds and three steals, and (Libby) Brown finished with 22 points, six rebounds and two assists. Jarrett had eight points and 11 rebounds, followed by Chloe Rule with four points and four rebounds, and Kirk finished with five points, two rebounds and two steals. Winterboro – Jones led the Bulldogs with 16 points and two blocks, but gave up 11 turnovers, and Katelyn Brown had eight points, four rebounds and two steals. Kya Brown contributed six points and five rebounds.

Coachspeak: “We wanted to defend 94 feet and speed them up a little bit. Tried to change to change our defenses up to get some easy buckets early. We didn’t shoot the ball well and you don’t always shoot it well. We can always count on our defense. For the most part, effort was pretty good defensively. Work with our defense first and go from there.” — Spring Garden’s Ricky Austin

“We had only one senior that’s been through the changes and it showed in the game. Spring Garden has a really good ball team, and they deserve it. Our girls can improve a lot from this. It should leave a bad taste in their mouth and encourage them to work harder.” — Winterboro’s Lamonyn Burney

They said it: “It’s definitely different coming from the bench (to starting). It’s a different atmosphere.” — (Libby) Brown

“It’s a great feeling. There’s really no better feeling than knowing you’re going to the regional championship.” — Kirk

“Very hungry. The two losses in the championship the last two years, it hasn’t slipped out of our minds. Every day at practice, there’s something brought up about getting beat by Pisgah two times in a regional championship. We’re not going for a third time.” — Austin

What’s next? Spring Garden advances to the Northeast Regional final where they’ll face either Skyline or Jefferson Christian at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.