Calhoun girls in first Final Four
In reaching the Final Four for the first time in program history, the Calhoun Lady Yellow Jackets had to get a bit out of their comfort zone.
Calhoun downed highscoring Arabia Mountain 62-52 in Tuesday night’s GHSA Class AAAAA quarterfinal game at Calhoun, holding the visitors 20 points below their season scoring average with a concentration on not allowing easy, quick points.
“The concerning thing coming in was their speed,” Calhoun coach Jaime Echols said of the 27-3 visitors. “If we could slow them down we would have a good chance and we were able to do that when it counted. Our nature is we want to run, but we didn’t want them taking advantage of it and getting easy baskets the other way.”
The game was tied at 18 midway through the second quarter, but Calhoun (25-4) went on a nice run to lead by seven at the half. Echols’ loaded backcourt, headed by seniors Britya Curtis and Lauren Watson — the only two seniors on the team — and sophomore Sa’Niah Dorsey, controlled action on both ends of the court as the lead grew to double digits and never got closer than six.
“We’ve only got two seniors,” Echols said of Curtis and Watson. “They’ve played since they could walk and they are best friends. We have a really close-knit group, and it’s when you get in games like this that you really realize how much that means.”
The cat-quick Dorsey led Calhoun with 22 points, with Curtis and Watson adding 12 each. Calhoun will face
Warner Robins in the semifinal round Friday at 2 at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.
In other northwest Georgia girls’ quarterfinal games Tuesday: Class AAAA
› Hardaway 48, Northwest Whitfield 42: The Lady Bruins’ youth — Bob Williams’ team has only one senior — finally caught up to them against the 24-4 visitors.
A Kennedy Baker drive tied the game at 42 with 3:28 remaining in the game, capping a Northwest Whitfield rally after Hardaway built a 17-4 lead after one quarter.
Northwest, however, did not score again as the Hawks used their quickness and length to clamp down defensively. Hardaway hit four free throws in the final three minutes to seal the win.
Sophomore Baker, continuing her sizzling postseason run, led Northwest (19-11) with 16 points and 12 rebounds, with Sloan Pender, another sophomore, adding 10 points and five boards. Mikayla Johnson led Hardaway with 14 points, with Akilah Shelton and Adazha Burrell each adding 12. Class AA
› Josey 47, Murray County 38: The Lady Indians saw their historic season end at 22-5 against a Josey (25-4) team that boasts four six-foot-plus players. Murray County, after getting within a point early in the fourth quarter, went four minutes without a point.
Mattie Nuckolls led the Lady Indians with 13 points, with Ella Dotson adding nine. Shaniya Sanders topped Josey with 16.