GREENVILLE, S.C. — Aliyah Boston carefully cut off a piece of the net on Monday night after South Carolina had beaten Maryland to advance to the women’s Final Four. As she made the snip, she asked a South Carolina staffer if she was doing it correctly this time.
After three Southeastern Conference tournament championships, three Final Fours and a national title, Boston, South Carolina’s star forward, is a regular when it comes to cutting down nets. Still, she has always wanted a piece that she could wear like a bracelet. Somehow, she had never gotten the cut she desired, until Monday night.
“It’s so embarrassing because how do I not have it down by now?” Boston said. “Listen, I’m a terrible net-cutter, believe it or not. I somehow cut the strings. I’m not a string girl. I like the bracelet because it’s cool. So I figured out the secret.”
Worrying about net-cutting technique is a luxury that Boston and South Carolina can afford. The Gamecocks have become a college basketball juggernaut, and with a spot in the Final Four on the line, Boston had one of her best games of the season: 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in an 86-75 victory.
South Carolina is used to seeing its sport’s other two titans, Stanford and Connecticut, at the Final Four. But those…
