Lady Jackets’ season ends at Final Four
Big third quarter sends Warner Robins 5A title game
Despite carrying a lead into halftime at the University of West Georgia on Friday, Calhoun’s girls basketball squad saw their run in the GHSA 5A state playoffs come to an end with a 62-53 loss to the Warner Robins Lady Demons.
Kat Atha had Calhoun’s first six points of the game, knocking down a jump shot followed by a put back and a pair of free throws, putting the Lady Jackets ahead 6-2 early.
Atha led the Calhoun offense in the loss with 19 points, followed by Britiya Curtis who contributed 13 points in the effort. Sa’Niah Dorsey also approached double figures with nine.
The Jackets held onto at least a four-point lead for most of the first quarter, thanks to a pair of longrange triples by Lauren Watson and a Curtis step-back jumper.
However, two buckets from Warner Robins’ Tasia Agee tied the game at 14 apiece going into the second period.
Following a deep three from Calhoun’s Curtis to start off the second quarter, Warner Robins earned their first lead of the night with two straight buckets to make it 18-17, but Calhoun answered with two transition scores to take back the lead as quickly as they lost it.
From there, the Jackets went up by as much as 31-23 late in the first half, but again Agee was the last player to score in a quarter, as she beat the horn for a corner three to close the half, making the Calhoun lead 31-26 going into the locker room.
With very few stoppages of play, the first half was over in under 30 real-time minutes.
The start of the second half was a three-point air raid, with both teams combining for five different three pointers in the first two minutes. Unfortunately for Calhoun, four out of five of these were by the Demons, putting the Jackets
behind 38-34.
Atha went on to tie the game back up at 38-38, but after that point, Warner Robins’ offense started clicking and Calhoun’s ran dry.
The Demons went on a 13-2 run to close the third quarter. It was 51-40 Warner Robins at the end of the third, and that was essentially the difference in the game.
Through the final frame, the Lady Demons held onto at least an eight-point lead until Atha hit a three pointer
to cut that down to seven points, 60-53 in the final minute. The Jackets had a half-court inbound with a chance to cut the deficit even further, but Warner Robins’ Chelsea Thomas picked it off and Agee finished the Jackets off with a pair of free throws.
Calhoun finishes the season with a 25-5 overall record, including a region championship and three state playoff wins.
Warner Robins, which upped its record to 28-3, will move on to play in the 5A girls state championship at the Macon Coliseum on March 9.