Lady Warriors fall in second-round showdown
For the second consecutive season, the LFO Lady Warriors went into the state tournament without a single loss on their ledger against any team from the Peach State.
Unfortunately, for the second consecutive season, the Red-and-white also saw their season come to an end on their own home floor.
After an Elite Eight loss to Greater Atlanta Christian last year, LFO was forced to bow out of the playoffs on Friday night with a 66-32 loss to Lumpkin County in a battle of teams that entered the playoffs ranked in the top five of all of Class AAA.
The Lady Indians, who beat Greater Atlanta Christian in the state championship game last year, looked very much like a team that could repeat next month.
Both teams played tight defense early as Lumpkin (24-4) took an 11-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Angel Simmons would hit an early 3-pointer in the second quarter for the Lady Warriors before a bucket by Christen Collins at the 6:20 mark left LFO (262) down by just a point, 14-13.
But that’s when the visitors from Dahlonega kicked it into a different gear.
They scored the next 10 points of the game over the next 3:30. Eight of the points came from Averie Jones, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Christina Gass knocked down a three for LFO to break the run with 2:08 to go before halftime, but Lumpkin scored the final three points of half to take a 27-16 lead into intermission.
The Lady Indians stepped it up even more once the third quarter began, especially from behind the arc. They opened the second half on a devastating 19-2 run that included four 3-pointers, three off the fingertips of Jones, as they raced out to a 46-18 advantage with 2:16 left in the period.
Collins tried to give her team a spark as she hit back-to-back threes in a span of 30 seconds, but Lumpkin’s combination of inside and outside scoring and speed, along with an all-around height advantage, refused to let LFO back in the game.
Kate Jackson scored six points in a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter as Lady Indians went on to the victory.
“Lumpkin was very disciplined and well coached,” LFO head coach Dewayne
Watkins said. “They outplayed us tonight and deserved to win.”
Lumpkin had just five players score, but four finished in double figures. Jones had six threes and
finished with 24 points. Jackson went for 15 and Mary Mullinax picked up 14, while Lexi Pierce added 11.
Collins had 16 points and hit three treys for the Lady Warriors, but she was the only player in double figures.
Gass, Simmons and Mercedes Thompson each finished with three points. Mylee Howard, Ziara Thompson and Piper Brown
each added two, while Christal Collins scored one.
LFO GIRLS 69, CEDAR GROVE 28
In the tournament opener last Tuesday, LFO jumped out to a 27-4 lead after one quarter against the outmanned Lady Saints, who came in as the No. 4 seed from Region 5.
The Lady Warriors outscored Cedar Grove 24-4 in the second
quarter to take a 51-8 lead at the break.
They extended the lead to 6111 by the end of the third quarter.
Simmons and Christen Collins both had four 3-pointers and 16 points each. Christol Collins added seven points. Howard had six and Zoey Gray-martin finished with five.
Mercedes Thompson, Ziara Thompson and Hope Alexander
each scored four points. Makia Mathews finished with three, while Brown and Kalie Richiez both chipped in with two.
LFO has amassed a 54-4 record over the last two seasons and will graduate just two seniors — Simmons, this season’s Region 6-AAA Player of the Year, and preseason All-state guard Christina Collins, who suffered an unfortunate season-ending injury last month.