By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com

TIGERVILLE — The Daniel High School girls’ basketball team traveled to Blue Ridge on Feb. 10 looking to secure a third straight region championship.
The Lions took control in the first half and never let up, relying on a stellar two-way effort from senior guard Braelin Cumbie as they clinched the Region 2-4A championship with a 61-34 win over the Tigers.
“Their commitment, their energy and their competitiveness has shown all year,” Daniel head coach Cosandar Griffin said. “I thought they brought toughness tonight. They played hard, they played together and they finished the job.”
No player exemplified the toughness and the competitiveness of the Lions more than Cumbie. The senior finished with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, but impressed Griffin the most with her play on the defensive end as she hounded Blue Ridge all-state guard Opal Maralit, holding her to less than 10 points.
“Braelin is one of the best defensive guards in the state of South Carolina,” Griffin said. “She’s disciplined, she listens, she’s coachable and she can pretty much guard anybody. She’s an assassin out there on the court.”
While Cumbie knew it would be a challenge to try to slow down the Tigers’ leading scorer, she said she approached the matchup just as she would any other.
“It’s tough, but honestly I feel like I just try and play the same way I do against anybody else,” Cumbie said. “At the end of the day, I just have to do my job.”
Maralit proved how dangerous she could be with a three-pointer to open the night, and the Tigers looked like strong challengers for the Lions as they built a 7-3 lead over the first three minutes. Daniel forward Shala Williams responded with a standout stretch, scoring eight of the Lions’ next 12 points before assisting Cumbie on an and-one basket to put Daniel ahead 20-11 after one quarter.
Makes from Lila Mann and Campbell Epting kept the Lions going into the second quarter before Blue Ridge’s Kaydin Sullivan stopped a 13-0 Daniel run with just under four minutes left in the half. The Tigers got the lead back down to single digits, only for Williams and Cumbie to add two more baskets and put Daniel ahead 32-19 at the half.
Daniel showed no signs of slowing down to start the second half, with another and-one basket from Cumbie and a three-pointer by Mann kicking off the second-half scoring. The Lions went on a 17-2 run to open the quarter before Blue Ridge’s Macie Hanley added a pair of free throws to end the drought. The Lions got the last laugh though, with a three-pointer from Mann and consecutive baskets by Williams putting the lead at 56-23 going into the fourth quarter.
“We knew we needed to finish the job,” Griffin said of the Lions’ transcendent third-quarter effort. “We knew we had to come out and be a little more aggressive and work a little more together against a very good Blue Ridge team. I’m extremely proud of this team.”
With the large lead heading into the fourth, the Lions slowed down their offensive onslaught, with Cumbie adding the team’s only field goal of the period. Even with just one make, the Lions were still able to cruise to the 27-point win and secure the region championship
“It was very fun to see the result of all the work we have put in and finally not having a close game against them,” Cumbie said. “We pulled through and really played together as team.”
The Lions finished out the regular season with a win over Seneca on Thursday night before taking down Berea 66-44 on Monday night in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Winners of 23 straight contests, the 24-1 Lions will look to keep their win streak going on Friday night at home against the 16-8 A.C. Flora Falcons.
“We’ve just got to continue to work on getting better, working on ourselves, being confident and stressing defense,” Griffin said after the win over Berea. “I think if we do those things, we’ll be OK.”

Daniel 61, Blue Ridge 34
DWD 20 12 24 5 — 61
BRHS 11 8 4 11 — 34

Daniel (61) — Mann 15, Williams 15, Cumbie 14, Epting 13, McAlister 2, Wilson 2.
Blue Ridge (34) — Maxwell 10, Maralit 8, Heaton 6, Sullivan 5, Bosken 2, Hanley 2, Santana 1.

3-point goals — Daniel 4 (Mann 3), Blue Ridge 2 (Maralit 2). Rebounds — Daniel 35 (Cumbie 11), Blue Ridge 30 (Maxwell 10). Assists — Daniel 19 (Mann 7), Blue Ridge 9 (Maralit 4).