The St. James girls basketball team made school history Monday night, scoring a 48-22 victory over visiting Cane Bay in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament for its first-ever playoff win.
The top-seeded Lady Sharks (21-4) did it with a suffocating defense, limiting Cane Bay (4-16) to only nine points over the final three quarters before a packed house at the Shark Tank.
After trailing 13-12 after one quarter of play, the Lady Sharks held Cane Bay to two, four and three points in the final three frames to score an easy victory over the No. 4-seeded Lady Cobras.
Stephanie Roberts scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Lady Sharks, who saw two others come close to posting double-doubles.
Keyanna Rutledge scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Monica Smalls tallied nine points and a game-high 12 boards to complete a balanced effort for St. James.
The Lady Sharks advance to the second round for the firs time in school history on Thursday against an opponent to be determined.
