FLOWERY BRANCH — The Flowery Branch girls are having fun right now. But perhaps none more so than coach and former Lady Falcons star Courtney Newton.
The Lady Falcons’ 59-41 win over Northside-Columbus in the second round of the Class AAAAA playoffs Friday night at home pushed them into the Elite 8 round for the first time since 2004.
Newton was a part of that 2004 squad but said things feel much different this time around.
“As a player you’re playing and it’s fun but you go home and don’t really think of the bigger picture,” she said after being mobbed by her team following the come-from-behind win. “I think it’s more fun as a coach because they're like your kids and you get to see them grow and get better. I’m having a blast right now.”
It didn’t seem that way in the first half, and the first quarter in particular. The Lady Falcons (29-1) could find no offensive rhythm until the late moments of the first half.
“The girls were nervous and it took us the whole first quarter to just calm down,” Newton said. “But we had a great crowd and all year we’ve played better on the road because I think they just want to do so well in front of their fans.”
Both Maddie Hetzel and Kierra Knight missed portions of the first half after suffering injuries, though both did return late in the second quarter. The Lady Falcons struggled from the field hitting just 25 percent and also were 0-for-6 on 3 pointers through the first 15 minutes. They managed to stay within striking distance by forcing 14 Northside turnovers and dominating the boards.
The lead changed hands four times and was tied three times in the first quarter alone. Flowery Branch led 6-5 on a Knight basket with 2:20 left in the period but the Lady Patriots responded with a 12-2 run into the second quarter for a 15-8 lead with 6:12 left in the half.
Later, three straight free throws by Taniyah Worth cut the lead to 17-15 and Flowery Branch trailed 19-15 with 2:20 left in the half on a basket by Jasmine Herndon. Knight, however, salvaged the rough half with a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left in the half to give the Lady Falcons a 20-19 halftime lead and that set the tone for a pivotal third quarter.
“After I came back from being hurt I was sitting on the bench thinking someone needs to do something. I was able to get the shot to go down,” Knight said.
That opened the floodgates at the beginning of the second half. Knight buried three consecutive 3-pointers in the first four minutes and Heather Moore added two more in the final two minutes as the Lady Falcons exploded for a 19-4 run to pull away for a 39-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Northside would not get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
“Those were huge shots,” Newton said. “She was shooting like that (Thursday) in practice so I was worried she had shot them all up. But when she is on like that she can really shoot it.”
After missing their first six 3-pointers, the Lady Falcons finished 7-for-17 from 3-point range for the game. Knight had four as part of her 16 points, 13 coming in the second half.
Worth finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds to pace Flowery Branch. Julianne Sutton added eight points and five steals, Hetzel had seven points, and Moore had six points on two treys.
Flowery Branch quickly took control with a 5-2 run to open the fourth quarter and lead by as many as 19 at one point.
The Herndon twins -- Jessica and Jasmine -- had nine points each to lead the Lady Patriots (20-8). Northside was held 18 points under their season average (59.2 ppg) by the top defensive unit in Class AAAAA. The Lady Falcons are only allowing 35 points a game on the season.
“We're at our best when we’re getting points off our defense,” Knight said. “That’s how we like to play.”
Newton said the second half team is the one they need to see for four quarters when they take on No. 1 Brunswick Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Columbus State with a shot at the Final Four on the line.
“If we put the second half team on the court, I like our chances against anyone,” she said. “We have to come out better to start the game. But the girls showed the heart, effort, and the preparation to fight through the bad half to win.”
