Spring Garden turned a close game into a rout with a strong second quarter on the way to a 62-34 victory over Loachapoka in AHSA Class 1A girls state semifinal action at the BJCC Legacy Arena on Monday.

The Panthers led 18-13 after a quarter, but made six of its eight first half 3-pointers in the quarter for a 39-21 halftime advantage, cruising to the win.

“It’s a big part of our game,” said Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin of 3-pointers. “We shoot hundreds every day.

“Their size really bothered us. We didn’t get a lot of points in the paint so we were hoping to do that on the perimeter.”

The top-ranked Panthers (35-1) converted 9-of-28 from 3-point range in the game, but 6-of-13 in the crucial second quarter with three coming from Libby Brown.

Ace Austin, who lead all scorers with 20 points, also connected on two 3-pointers in the quarter. Of Spring Garden’s seven second-quarter field goals, six came from 3-point range.

Already a four-year starter, although she’s only a sophomore, Austin was an assist shy of a triple-double.

“When you have teammates who can hit shots, it helps with assists,” Austin said.

It’s the first championship appearance – 10th overall – for Spring Garden since winning the 2020 Class 1A title. The Panthers spent the past two season in Class 2A before dropping back down this season.

It was the second straight semifinal appearance for fourth-ranked Loachapoka (25-11).

Star of the Game: Spring Garden’s Ace Austin led all scorers with 20 points, adding 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Stat sheet: Spring Garden – Kayley Kirk 17 points, 7-of-13 shooting, 3-of-8 3-pointers, four rebounds; Libby Brown 14 points, 5-of-11 shooting, 4-of-10 3-pointers, two steals.

Loachapoka – Jasmyn Thomas 12 points, 5-of-16 shooting, 2-of-8 3-pointers, four rebounds, two steals; Taylah Murph 10 points, 5-of-16 shooting, 0-of-2 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists, two steals.

By the numbers: Spring Garden – Shot 23-of-52 (44.2 percent), 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) 3-pointers, 7-of-8 free throws. Added 31 rebounds, 14 assists, six turnovers, seven steals.

Loachapoka – Shot 13-of-46 (28.3 percent), 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) 3-pointers, 6-of-6 free throws. Added 31 rebounds, three assists, 11 turnovers, five steals.

They said it: “From our shooting aim, we know we’re not going to make threes every game, but we can count on half court defense. Our talk at shootarounds this morning was all about half court defense. You know that defense is what wins. I’m proud to have a group of girls who know that defense is important. They don’t mind contact and that’s a huge part of our game.” – Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin.

“We got winded. These girls don’t get a sub. We were tired and they were playing great defense. They did a great job scouting us.” – Loachapoka coach Anthony Edwards

Next up: Spring Garden plays Marion County for the Class 1A girls championship on Thursday at 3 p.m.