COLUMBIA, S.C. — A two-and-a-half-hour lightning delay couldn’t dampen Lucy Beckham’s championship aspirations Saturday as the Bengals defeated the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets 8-5 to capture the South Carolina Class 5A Division 2 girls lacrosse state title.
Iliana Kane got Lucy Beckham (13-5) on the board first at the 8:49 mark of the opening quarter and added her second goal with 5:02 remaining in the frame. Mallory Hitch answered for Fort Mill (9-8) to cut the deficit to 2-1.
While Lucy Beckham controlled much of the attack in the first quarter, the Fort Mill defense held strong, aided by stellar play from goalkeeper Grace Boyd. Lucy Beckham’s goalie also proved a formidable presence in net.
Fort Mill’s Cece Shia scored with 7:34 left in the second quarter to make it 4-2 in favor of the Bengals. Lucy Beckham dominated the face-off circle and capitalized on those possessions, extending their lead to 5-2 with 3:15 remaining before halftime.
Violet Coates added another for Lucy Beckham on a penalty shot, making it 6-2. As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, Kane found the back of the net again, giving the Bengals a commanding 7-2 advantage. Due to the lengthy weather delay, the halftime break was shortened to just five minutes.
Lucy Beckham continued to control the game in the third quarter, extending their lead to 8-2. Fort Mill struggled to find offensive momentum. The Yellow Jackets finally broke through at the 6:16 mark to make it 8-3, and Shia added another goal before the end of the quarter, pulling Fort Mill within four at 8-4 heading into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, Lucy Beckham effectively controlled the tempo. Fort Mill managed to force a turnover and called a timeout with four minutes remaining, hoping to orchestrate a comeback while trailing 8-4. However, the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on a charge to the net. Lucy Beckham regained possession and shifted into a clock-killing offensive strategy in the final minutes.
Despite the score, Fort Mill’s Boyd continued her impressive performance in goal, making several key saves. Fort Mill managed to score in the final seconds, but it was too little, too late as Lucy Beckham secured the 8-5 victory and hoisted the state championship trophy.
