Tuesday March 19th, 2024 12:39AM

7-AAA Tournament: West Hall girls end state tourney drought; East Hall, Banks march on

OAKWOOD — Anna McKendree was five years old the last time the West Hall girls basketball team reached the state playoffs.

The sophomore guard was not about to let that drought continue.

McKendree torched Fannin County early and often on Thursday, scoring a game-high 22 points as she helped lead the Lady Spartans to a 50-33 victory in the Region 7-AAA quarterfinals in Oakwood -- a result that clinched the program's first state tournament berth since 2006.

"This is an honor; we've worked our (tails) off for this," said McKendree, who staked the Lady Spartans (17-8) to a strong start behind 13 first quarter points. "I knew I had to do it for my teammates; I wasn't going to let this be our seniors' last game."

The outcome was part of a big day for Region 7-AAA -- which finally got its tournament under way after two days of weather delays. Banks County's and East Hall's girls also picked up wins on Thursday at West Hall High to clinch state berths and move into Friday's semifinals.

"We know we've got a tough road ahead with three games in three days, and we've got to play better," said West Hall coach Bryan Richerson, who also saw his team win its eighth straight. "It was kind of ugly tonight. But I'm proud of our girls. Making it to state has been one of our goals since the beginning. And now we know we've got to refocus and get ready for tomorrow night."

While West Hall would like more balanced scoring for the rest of the postseason, it probably would not mind more starts like Thursday's.

McKendree showed she was ready for the postseason from the outset, draining three quick baskets -- including two 3-pointers -- to help the Lady Spartans to a 8-0 lead. In fact, the guard scored all 13 of West Hall's first quarter points, as they built a 13-8 advantage.

"You never know how kids are going to react in the playoffs, and Anna's still a sophomore, but she's fearless," Richerson said. "And then we've got Macy Passmore handling the ball, and when you've got two guards that can lead like that you're going to have a pretty good chance to be successful."

Izzy Salgado finally got another Lady Spartan onto the scoresheet with her jumper to start the second quarter, but McKendree added two more baskets for good measure.

And when it wasn't McKendree causing problems for Fannin County it was West Hall's defense. The Lady Spartans turned up the full-court pressure in the second quarter, forcing turnover after turnover -- takeaways that West Hall turned into points, as Avery Prather put up five straight points for a 24-8 lead with 3:18 left in the half.

Prather finished with seven points for West Hall, while Megan English added six.

McKendree also helped West Hall to maintain control in the second half, draining a 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter for a 28-11 advantage. West Hall led by as many as 20 points in the quarter, and Fannin never cut the lead to less than 15 the rest of the way.

Hope Franklin scored 10 points to lead the Lady Rebels (6-19). Lacey Walden and MaKenzie McClure also put up seven apiece.

Fannin County's season is now complete.

West Hall, meanwhile, moves on to take on East Hall at 4 p.m. Friday in Dahlonega.


EAST HALL GIRLS 71,
LUMPKIN COUNTY 38

The Lady Vikings (20-5) pounced on the Lady Indians early, ripping off a 20-0 run that closed out the first quarter and opened the second.

The dominant spree put the contest out of reach, as East Hall took a 27-6 lead on Carly Winters' 3-pointer with seven minutes remaining before halftime.

The Lady Vikings' victory clinched a spot in the state playoffs and a Region 7-AAA semifinal showdown against West Hall. East Hall will battle the Lady Spartans at 4 p.m. Friday in Dahlonega.

The Lady Vikings were far from hampered by the region tournament's weather delays, which pushed girls play back a day (and boys back two days), draining seven 3-pointers during the night.

Ashlyn Ellison proved especially deadly, scoring a game-high 30 points. Kylah Mize also chipped in with 10 points, and Jenny Edwards added nine points

Lumpkin County stayed in step through the opening minutes, answering an Edwards 3-pointer to pull within 7-6.

It was all East Hall from there.

The Lady Vikings turned up their defensive pressure, causing chaos with their full-court press and trap. The ploy caused three quick steals that led to three uncontested lay-ups, including two for Mize, who made it 19-6 with 1:17 left in the first quarter. Ellison then fanned the flames with a lay-in and 3-pointer to make it 24-6 at the end of the first quarter. Winters capped the run with her own 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter before Hope Foster finally ended the Lady Indians' scoring drought.

Foster led the Lady Indians (6-20) with 14 points, while Rylie Vaughan added 10 points.

Lumpkin County's season is now complete.


BANKS COUNTY GIRLS 54,
FRANKLIN COUNTY 48

Jaylyn Lock came to life in the fourth quarter and helped propel the Lady Leopards (13-12) into the state tournament and the Region 7-AAA semifinals.

The guard scored all 12 of her points over the final eight minutes, as fifth-seeded Banks County overcame a seven-point deficit with 21 points.

The outcome sealed a region tournament showdown with top-seeded Dawson County (which received a bye into the semifinals) at 7 p.m. Friday in Dahlonega.

Lock's steal and lay-up helped start the fourth-quarter surge, while her first 3-pointer gave the Lady Leopards their first lead since the first quarter.

The Lady Lions (16-10) battled back ahead through Tiara Ellis and Manazia Merriett putbacks -- only to watch Lock pick off another pass and score to give Banks County a 44-42 advantage. The lead changed hands twice more over the final four minutes. But Lock's 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining pushed Banks in front for good at 51-48.

Mallory Parson paced the Lady Leopards throughout, scoring 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Her work early helped Banks County to an 11-2 lead -- until cold shooting and Franklin County turned the score around. The Lady Leopards went without a field goal in the second quarter, and Ellis' hook shot gave Franklin a 19-18 lead. That advantage swelled to 28-20 on Madison Williams' 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.

But Banks County refused to fade and caught fire behind Lock. Julia Beasley also added eight points for the Lady Leopards,

Ellis led the Lady Lions with 20 points, while Williams finished with 17. Merritt also chipped in with eight.

Franklin County's season is now complete.

  • Associated Categories: Sports, High School Sports
  • Associated Tags: High school basketball, East Hall girls basketball, West Hall girls basketball, Banks County girls basketball
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