Calhoun’s season ends thanks to late Lady Bulldogs’ run
Calhoun and Hart County went back and forth in an exciting, high-paced contest on Saturday in the first round of the Class AAA State Tournament, but it was the Lady Bulldogs who made the final run to earn the road victory.
Hart County finished the game on a 9-0 run to earn a 72-63 win and advance to the second round while the season came to an end for the host Lady Jackets (21-6).
The game was tied at 63-63 with just over two minutes left, and the Lady Bulldogs clamped down on defense to force several Calhoun turnovers and tough shots that they turned into transition opportunities.
Calhoun coach Jerry Pruett said the closing moments of the game didn’t go his team’s way, but there were other points in the contest that could’ve made a difference.
“We made some mistakes, especially in the last minute and a half,” said Pruett. “But we had some chances earlier in the second half to get make some layups and missed them, and we also made some defensive mistakes. The last minute and a half is what gets remembered, but everything adds up especially when you play a good team like Hart County.”
The Lady Jackets battled back from a fast start by Hart County to turn a 12-3 deficit into a 23-21 deficit at the end of the first quarter. The highpaced tempo continued in the second quarter as both teams pushed the ball up the court to get easy looks at the basket and made shots as well. The Lady Bulldogs took a 43-41 lead to the break.
Calhoun fell behind 51-45 midway through the third quarter but finished the period strong with a 9-2 run to take a 54-53 lead into the fourth. After falling behind again, this time at 63-58, the Lady Jackets fought back to tie it at 63-63 on a Jana Johns free throw with 2:05 to play. That’s when Hart County went on their 9-0 game-ending run.
“(Hart County) is very fast, and you have to be wary of them jumping you and getting steals,” said Pruett. “We didn’t communicate well at times in the first half, and they took advantage with some steals and layups. But our kids played hard and executed better as the game went on. We wanted to make (Hart County) shoot it from the outside, and we did at times. In the second half, we did a great job of taking it to the rim and getting them in a little bit of foul trouble.
“It was a combination of things throughout the game. We could’ve eliminated some of their lay-ups in the first half and possibly been up on them, or we could’ve made a few more shots and free throws in the third to have a bigger lead. It all adds up, and Hart County is a very good team.”
Calhoun was led by Johns, who put up an incredibly performance in her final high school game with 33 points. Cassie Henderson, another of the Lady Jackets’ five seniors, also hit some huge shots to score 13. Fellow seniors Ryan Brzozoski and Ashlyn Barnes each scored six.
Pruett said it wasn’t the way they wanted to end the season, especially for the seniors, who will be missed in the future.
“We’re disappointed we lost, but this has been a great four years for this group,” said Pruett. “We’ll miss them all. They accomplished a lot with four straight trips to the state tournament and being a part of the Elite Eight group two years ago. They are not happy about a first- round exit the last two years, but they are still a great group.
Hart County (23-5) got 28 points from Maeisha Teasley, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the way. Torrion Starks scored 20. The Lady Bulldogs move on to face Central Macon in the next round.