Southside’s girls were on the verge of dropping another game and head into the Christmas break winless on the season.

Hannah Schmidt was among the Mavericks who refused to let that happen.

Schmidt helped fuel a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback at home Dec. 19 against Alma by hitting several 3-point shots. But her biggest 3 came with 20 seconds left, as it completed the comeback to give the Mavericks the lead for good in an eventual 65-62 win, Southside’s first win of the season after an 0-9 start.

“It just feels so good for us because we’ve been waiting on this moment and we’ve been trying really hard. ... We really wanted it and you could see it on the court,” said Schmidt, a junior guard, who was named the Times Record’s Athlete of the Week.

“It was all heart; we just wanted that (win) and we’ve been waiting for a win. Obviously (against Alma), we showed it and it came to us. We worked as a team and we did everything we needed to accomplish that.”

Schmidt finished the game with 17 points, and made 5-of-7 3-point baskets.

Her fifth and final 3 finished off the Mavs’ fourth-quarter rally. They were down by nine points entering the fourth, and also trailed by seven with four minutes left and six with two minutes remaining.

Southside finally pulled to within a point with 45 seconds left. Moments later, Alma made a free throw to push the lead back up to two, 62-60.

On the Mavs’ next possession, Erin Graham had the ball in the lane but was being heavily guarded by Alma defenders before she saw Schmidt open in the right corner. Instinctively, Schmidt quickly released a shot, which hit nothing but net with 20 seconds to go, putting the Mavs ahead by one, 63-62.


“I don’t take any credit for that, it was all my team. ... I couldn’t have done it without them, I wouldn’t have got the ball without them,” Schmidt said.

“It was good arch and what coach (Steve Brown) taught me. I was trying to keep those tactics in mind as I shot it.”

Brown said he had complete belief Schmidt was capable of hitting a shot like that when given the opportunity.

“That’s what she can do,” Brown said. “Sometimes, she doubts herself, but I love to see her take those shots like that because it’s going to do nothing but build her confidence that I keep telling her she’s got.

“She’s got to be one of the ones taking those shots, and she’s been told that many times, and I was glad to see her step up and do that.”

Southside then made a pair of defensive stops while Kelly Carson added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds before Schmidt and the Mavs were able to celebrate their much-needed early Christmas gift.


?(The win) was an early Christmas present and I think that was definitely our present by far,” Schmidt said. “It felt good, we liked it, so it was a good game.”


The Mavs will resume play on Wednesday with a three-day holiday tournament at Russellville. Southside plays against Russellville at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
