SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Raven Johnson and Ta'Niya Latson were high school teammates in Atlanta for three seasons and won three state championships.
Now they are back together and trying to bring another national title to South Carolina.
The pair dominated in the top-seeded Gamecocks' 94-68 win
over Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday, with Latson scoring 28 points and Johnson adding 18.“It’s such a surreal moment. Kept
in touch when I was at Florida State,” Latson said. “Being on the sideline, being next to her I'm like playing with my best friend in high school. Hope to win a championship together. It’s a blessing to be together in our last year.”
Johnson was instrumental in getting Latson to come to South Carolina once she entered the transfer portal after last season.
“I was telling her how proud I am of what she did today,” Johnson said. “I feel like I did that. When I see the ball go in for her, my eyes get big. All the things she’s been through, she’s a hard worker. Ta'Niya deserves everything coming her way. This is just the beginning.”
Johnson stuck around for a fifth year at South Carolina instead of going to the WNBA. Latson was a big reason why.
This was one of the best offensive games the pair have had together this season, but according to Latson, it wasn't their best ever.
“It was Geico Nationals,” she said, smiling as she recalled the tournament that seeks to identify the best high school team in the country. “She had 25 and I had 26. It was a monster game for both of us.”
When coach Dawn Staley chimed in about their defense in that game, Latson said, “we were turning everybody over.”
Staley followed that by expressing her hope that the pair can do that on Monday night when they face either Virginia or TCU with a trip to the Final Four at stake. South Carolina has played in eight regional finals under Staley, going 7-1.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
