By MIKE GEGENHEIMER, Journal Sports
HAMMOND — Kaylie Dupree says she simply wanted to do what her team needed to win the game. Her coach, Brian Shyne, suspects she just wanted to shut him up.
Whatever the true inspiration was, the fact remains that Dupree’s fourth quarter hot streak was crucial to No. 4 Huntington lifting a girls basketball state championship trophy for the first time in school history, defeating No. 3 Woodlawn 61-51 late Saturday afternoon in the Division I Select finals at the University Center in the LHSAA’s Marsh Madness event.
Dupree entered the fourth quarter with no made field goals, two points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Woodlawn just erased a nine-point deficit to take a 39-38 lead moments into the fourth quarter.
Shyne took the opportunity to give the sophomore center a piece of his mind that in his words was aimed at lighting a fire under her.
Dupree acknowledged Shyne’s tough words were certainly a motivator, but more than anything she didn’t want to let her team down a year after they lost to Woodlawn in the 2024 semifinals.
Within two minutes of Woodlawn taking the lead, Dupree went on a run that included seven points, a rebound and a steal. Huntington went from down one to leading by 10 almost in the blink of an eye.
The Lady Raiders (23-10) never trailed again.
“I just felt like I had to do it for my teammates,” Dupree said. “I had to do my job. We’ve all been wanting this championship game and I had to go get it. I had to lock in because my first three quarters weren’t really good. I had to show everybody I’m a dog and I put my name out there.”
While Dupree drove the Lady Raiders in the fourth quarter, it was Carley Hamilton that propelled them the other three.
The senior guard was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player for her 27 points, eight rebounds and four steals. She shot 8 of 19 from the field and 10 of 13 from the free throw line, including several late freebies that helped keep a potential Woodlawn comeback at bay.
Hamilton went head to head with Woodlawn’s Amijah Price for most of the night as Price was limited to 14 points while battling foul trouble late.
Hamilton said, despite her team being on top in the closing minutes, she didn’t relax until the final buzzer.
“It’s a game of runs,” Hamilton said. “I was telling my team to stay poised. We’ve been here before. The semifinals were up and down, up and down. We were good. We weren’t fixing to fold.”
Shyne said the rematch with Woodlawn after last year’s semifinals was in the forefront of his mind for the past 12 months, saying he was embarrassed after they fell, as the No. 1 seed, 71-58 to the Panthers. Huntington also lost to Woodlawn during the regular season this year, adding extra motivation for revenge.
It appeared as if this rendition of the budding rivalry was headed for another close battle as neither team built much space through the first two quarters. Both teams were highly physical as fouls added up on both sides.
Woodlawn coach Alicia Dedeaux credited Huntington with being the hungrier team.
“We talked about (losing to Woodlawn in 2024) this morning, we talked about it every single day,” Shyne said. “We know what happened to us last year and we don’t want to feel that again. That’s not a good feeling. You feel like you’re supposed to win. So we kept it in the front of our mind the whole year.”
As a team, Huntington shot 19 of 49 from the field compared to Woodlawn’s 17 of 54. The Raiders also held a slight advantage on the boards, 39-38.
Dupree finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Junior Kyndall Graham, whose last-minute bucket and two free throws closed out Thursday’s 61-59 semifinal victory over No. 1 John Curtis, also chipped in 13 points, three steals and three assists.
“This team has something (other Huntington teams) don’t,” Shyne said. “They’re the first ones to get a state championship. That will forever be special.”
Contact Mike at sports@journalservicesllc.com
