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Camryn Hill hits game-winning buzzer-beater to lift South Grand Prairie over Irving MacArthur in area round thriller

Hill’s clutch shot came off an inbounds pass with 2.8 seconds remaining.

ARLINGTON — After losing its offensive rhythm for a quarter on Friday the South Grand Prairie girls basketball team got it back just in time. The rhythm produced an armful of three-pointers, and a most memorable two-pointer courtesy of Camryn Hill.

Hill sank a 15-foot, fallaway jumper as time expired to give South Grand Prairie a 73-71 win over Irving MacArthur in a Class 6A area playoff thriller at Lamar High School. Hill’s clutch shot came off an inbounds pass from Kendal McGruder from the left sideline with 2.8 seconds remaining. The game-winner came after MacArthur’s Sarah Andrews sank a 23-foot three-pointer from the right sideline with nine seconds remaining.

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“We set up a screen and I felt I was open when I came off it. I wanted that shot. That’s my shot. It felt great when I released it,” said Hill, who scored 12 points.. “This is the most exciting game I’ve been in.”

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South Grand Prairie (34-4) — ranked No. 4 in The Dallas Morning News’ Class 6A area poll and No. 7 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ 6A state poll - advances to the region-quarterfinal round for the third time in four years to face Cedar Hill with the time, date and site to be determined. MacArthur (24-11), ranked No. 7 in The News’ area poll, was eliminated in the area round for the fourth time in five years.

South Grand Prairie rallied from a 57-47 deficit in the fourth quarter by making seven three-pointers. Four were by Kiara Jackson, the last with 1:24 remaining to give SGP a 70-68 lead. Jackson had a career-high eight three-pointers as part of a 28-point game with six assists.

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“We just stayed confident because we believed in ourselves and knew we could come back,” Jackson said. “The threes were from all that shooting before school. I was just ready to play.

“This was definitely one of the most exciting games I’ve been in. It was really fun to play in this game.”

South Grand Prairie held control of the game most of the first half thanks to sharp outside shooting.

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SGP was 9 for 15 (60.0 percent) from three-point range, making its first four attempts in the first half. A McGruder trey gave SGP a 34-21 lead with 4:00 left in the second quarter. MacArthur rallied to cut the deficit to 37-33 on a Heaven Butler layup with 47 second remaining before Jackson sank a three-pointer to give SGP a 40-33 halftime edge. Jackson led all players with 13 first-half points.

MacArthur controlled the third quarter, holding South Grand Prairie to seven points on 3 for 12 shooting from the field. Standout MacArthur center Hannah Gusters outscored the entire SGP team in the third with eight points. Gusters, a Baylor signee capped her high-school career with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while fellow Baylor signee Andrews had 16 points and nine assists.

“They just knocked down shots in the fourth. I don’t know what else to say. Unbelievable shots,” MacArthur coach Suzie Oelschlegel said. “This game was great for the fans, but hearts were broken on this team.”

McGruder finished with 15 points, six assists and three steals while Madyson Jean -Louis had 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals for South Grand Prairie. Morgan Browning had 13 points for MacArthur, shooting 6 for 8 from the field.

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