Long-range barrage ends Calhoun girls’ best season

For nearly a half, Calhoun’s defensive strategy was working like a charm in Friday’s GHSA Class AAAAA girls’ basketball semifinal at the University of West Georgia.

The Lady Yellow Jackets, aware their opponent, Warner Robins, was deadly in the paint, dared the Demonettes to shoot 3-pointers. However, Warner Robins hit six bombs in less than four minutes of game clock to turn an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead en route to a 62-53 win in Carrollton.

“They have not been a very strong 3-point shooting team, even though we knew they had some kids who could shoot it,” Calhoun coach Jaime Echols said. “We had to take away No. 30 (Jada Morgan) inside, so we were willing to give up some 3-point shots.

“But when they started making them, we didn’t have a choice but to go man-to-man (defense), and then they started scoring inside.”

Calhoun’s most successful season in program history ends at 25-5.

Warner Robins (28-3) hit one 3 in a quarterfinal win over Midtown and had just one with two minutes to go in the first half against Calhoun before Tori Davis caught fire. The junior guard hit six 3-pointers, four coming in the key run that ended the first half and began the second, on her way to 20 points.

Teammate Tasia Agee led the Demonettes with 25 points, including two 3s that followed back-to-back treys from Calhoun’s Sa’Niah Dorsey giving the Lady Jackets a 31-23 lead. Three 3-pointers from Davis and one from Agee in just more than two minutes of the third quarter gave Warner Robins a 38-34 lead.

“The story really was we couldn’t make a basket in the third quarter and they couldn’t miss,” Echols said. “But give them credit for making us pay for the strategy.”

Calhoun recovered, tying the game at 40 on a Britiya Curtis layup off a Dorsey pass. Those points, however, would be the last from the Lady Jackets in the quarter as Warner Robins went on an 11-0 run — including five points from Davis and four from Agee — to take a commanding 51-40 lead.

Seven of the points in that run came off Calhoun turnovers, including back-to-back steals from Agee.

Curtis led Calhoun with 14 points and also had eight rebounds, with Kat Atha adding 13 points, all in the first half, Lauren Watson 12 points and Dorsey nine.

“I told the girls after the game that it stinks and it hurts to have to give that final speech, but giving it in March this year after a Final Four game is a great thing,” Echols said. “You’re always going to be a Final Four team, and nobody can take that away from you.”