Lady Jackets come up short in first round

The season not only came to an end for the Rockmart High School girls’ basketball team last week, but one of the most prolific scorers in Georgia high school history saw her career come to a close.

After fighting through a tough region, the Rockmart Lady Jackets were matched up with Lumpkin County in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs last Tuesday. Playing in Dahlonega, Rockmart lost 58-49 to be eliminated from the postseason.

Lumpkin County, who had an 11-game winning streak coming into the playoffs, won the Region 7-3A championship. Rockmart came in as the No. 4 seed from Region 6-3A.

The loss brought about the final games for seniors Keyarah Berry and Megan Little, two Lady Jacket players who have been the backbone for the program over the last four seasons.

Berry, voted the Region 6-3A Girls Player of the Year once again this season by the region’s coaches, is signed to play for Indiana after graduation.

She recorded more than 1,000 career rebounds, and has more than 3,200 points and 500 steals. She finished her time as a Lady Jacket as Rockmart’s alltime leading scorer and was the second leading scorer in state history heading into the final part of the season.

Little was a key component of Rockmart’s program, known for her outside shooting. Both players were part of the Lady Jackets’ state playoff run in 2020 that led them to the Class AA Final Four.

Rockmart finishes with a 17-10 record in the first season in Class 3A.