South Carolina's Final Four exit felt like 'end of an era' but Raven Johnson showed promise of future
DALLAS – When the final buzzer rang at the American Airlines Center on Friday, Aliyah Boston went over to fellow senior Zia Cooke.
Boston consoled Cooke, who had played every second of South Carolina women's basketball's shocking loss in the Final Four to Iowa. When Boston was called for two early fouls and had to sit out, Cooke powered the team to their best quarter of the 77-73 loss when the Gamecocks outscored Iowa 24-16.
"When that buzzer went off, it was kind of just an end of an era, it feels like. We had a special group, and that's kind of what it felt like," Boston said. "Zia competed for 40 minutes. She played every single minute of this game. She gave it her all. And I just told her, you can't hang your head low because you did really good. You kept us in this game.
"Four years went by really fast, but I told her no matter she does next, she's ready for it. God has equipped her, and she's ready."
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Cooke led the Gamecocks in scoring with 24 points and eight rebounds. She was the only player on either team to play all 40 minutes.
The loss itself wasn't as shocking as the fact that South Carolina's top-ranked defense couldn't slow down National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark, who scored 41 points. It didn't help that besides Cooke, the Gamecocks' starters struggled offensively, combining for just 11 points. South Carolina's bench, Kamilla Cardoso and Raven Johnson in particular, kept the game within reach down to the final minute.
Johnson, whose other significant scoring nights came against top opponents like UConn and LSU, had 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals in 29 minutes against Iowa. The redshirt freshman went 3-for-6 from behind the arc, making all three of her 3-pointers in the second half.
"After the game I told Raven, this is your team," Boston said. "You've been in the system for two years now. Next year, people are going to look to you for that leadership role, just giving her the guidance of how to do it. This year I think she's been really listening to us, and you can see that during the games. For the big games, Raven is always ready. She does a great job of trying to pass the ball, making other people open, making other people feel included ... I think she just steps up. That's just who she is."
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called Johnson the future of the program. Johnson said Staley often asks her why she did things, forcing her to evaluate her process and not only rely on her instincts.
"Raven has a bright future. She's got some great instincts as a point guard," Staley said. "I ask why because I like to know her process. I like to know what she's thinking, and it helps me teach her a little bit better. She doesn't know why because she's got really, really, really good instincts. So when she's able to keep those instincts the way they are but also just be a little bit more patient about seeing other options, she's going to be a terrific point guard.
"So she's a pro in the making, and I'm super proud that she's on our team and she's going to represent our team and our university."
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina Final Four loss marks end of era but promise of future
