Maggie Chastain hit three free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give Arab a 52-49 victory over Brewbaker Tech in the Class 5A girls semifinals on the BJCC’s Legacy Arena on Wednesday night.

“It was exciting, but nerve racking at the same time,” said Chastain, a sophomore guard. “But I knew my teammates were there to encourage me.”

Brew Tech, which trailed throughout the second half, tied the game at 49-49 on Erin Martin’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation. After a timeout, Arab brought the ball downcourt and found Chastain in the right corner.

She was fouled by Heaven Keeton attempting the game-winning 3. Chastain was 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the game and finished with 15 points.

Junior guard Bryleigh Bodine had a talk with her before she went to the foul line.

“In practice, me and Maggie are free throw partners,” she said. “I told her, ‘It’s just me and you in practice. Just do it how you do in practice.’”

Arab coach Brad Kitchens said he had confidence in Chastain.

“Maggie has really come on for us. She was a marginal player for us at the beginning of the year,” he said. “Now she’s our seventh starter. Maggie has certainly come up big for us down the stretch.”

Star of the Game: Chastain was 4-of-5 from the field. Her free throws at the end were her only attempts of the game.

Stat sheet: Arab finished the game with three players in double figures. Junior Sydney Ferguson scored a team-high 16 points, pulled down six rebounds and recorded a block. Bennett Elrod scored 11 points, pulled down six rebounds, had four steals and two assists

Kenneddi McGhee was big for Brew Tech. She finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Sophomore guard Jillian Baine scored 17 points, pulled down four rebounds and recorded three assists.

By the numbers: With Chastain’s hot shooting, Arab won the bench scoring advantage 17-3. They also won the second-chance points 13-10. Most importantly, they shot 46.7 percent from 3-point range.

They said it: “For those of you who don’t know, I had open heart surgery — quadruple bypass, about a year and a half ago. It kicked my butt. Man, it kicked my butt. They’re the encouragement that got me back. I wanted to get back to coach these girls, they’re special girls.” – Kitchens.

“We got a little comfortable. Then we started missing our layups and making simple mistakes. I had to help them understand that we can’t get comfortable. We have to fight all the way through this.” – Brew Tech coach Cynthia Thompson.

Next up: Arab will play Pleasant Grove at 9 a.m. Saturday for the Class 5A State title. The Spartans beat Charles Henderson in the first semifinal game of the day.