Lady Phoenix soar in region championship
The Sonoraville girls secured a region title on Saturday, while the Calhoun boys and Gordon Central girls each made deep tournament runs.
With the ability to rack up points in the post, knock down shots at an impressive clip behind the arc and defend tenaciously down the length of the court, the Sonoraville Lady Phoenix have proven all season that it is perhaps the most complete team in Region 6-AAA.
The Lady Phoenix (20-8) further cemented that fact on Saturday, defeating the Coahulla Creek Lady Colts 53-49 in the finals of 6-AAA region tournament 53-49 to claim the region championship and clinch a No.1 seed in the state tournament.
In a back and forth contest, it all boiled down to the Lady Phoenix utilizing clutch free throws and relentless defense to down the stretch when it mattered most.
From the opening tip, Sonoraville was able to seize control of the game by jumping out to a 13-7 lead at the end of the first due to a 7-0 run to end the quarter.
Coahulla Creek (20-7) came storming back in the second to tie the game at 22 with 1:30 left in the half, however, thanks to some miscues by the Lady Phoenix. Sonoraville managed to stay resilient though, clinging to a 27-24 lead at the half.
The Lady Colts were far from done, emerging from the halftime lockeroom on fire, embarking on an 8-1 run in the third to close the gap to 35-34 with 2:30 left to go in the third.
But for every rally Coahulla Creek produced, Sonoraville always seemed to have a counter, as the Lady Phoenix took a 41-37 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Those eight minutes didn’t disappoint, and consisted of timely moments and elite defense by both squads. After the teams largely traded buckets and runs in the fourth quarter, it all came down to free-throw shooting, as these big games often do. Sonoraville’s Maliyah Parks, who has been a crucial factor all season, stepped to the line with 46 seconds to go to sink a pair of free throws to create some breathing room on the scoreboard
REGION,
Sectional finals had concluded, the team has logged five champions, three secondplace finishes, one fourth-place finish and one fifth-place finish. Sonoraville will be defending its state title at the tournament.
Those that won individual championships for Sonoraville included Eli Knight (120), Allen Stone (138), Trevor Burdick (145), Charlie Brown (182) and John Knight (195). Those that finished as runners-up included Jayce Derryberry (132), Jaxx Knight (220) and Brandon Bristol (285).
Hector Arbos (106) and Jebb Knight (170) also logged third-place finishes, while Davin O’Neal (152) finished in fourth and Rowan Burdick (126) finished fifth.
For Calhoun, four wrestlers qualified for the state tournament next weekend by placing in the top-six of their respective weight classes. Three more wrestlers qualified as alternates by placing seventh, with one more wrestler placing in eighth.
Those qualifying included Reece Poe (2nd), Owen Mendez (4th), Jonathan Santana (5th), Armando Monroy (5th), Brock Parker (7th), Sexton Golden (7th), Myron Rodriguez (7th), Haydin Harris (8th).
The state tournament takes place on Feb. 13-16 at the Macon Centreplex.