HOMER — The plan was to try slow down a KIPP offense adept at improvising.
The Banks County girls defense did that, and then some, Wednesday night in the two teams’ Class 2A second round matchup at the Banks County gym.
The Lady Leopards used a smothering full-court press to force six KIPP turnovers in an eight-possession span to spark a 11-0 run en route to a 70-28 win.
Banks didn’t stop there either, as it forced five more takeaways after a pair of Lady Warriors free throws, igniting a 18-2 run to close out the first half and blow the game open.
Banks County coach Steve Shedd was all smiles afterwards.
“The plan was to try and take away their ability to dribble and drive and dish the ball off and force them to shoot from the outside,” he said. “But we were able to use the press to create turnovers and get some fastbreak points. That was a bonus really, but we’ll take it.”
It was tight defensive game in the first five minutes as the two teams traded three leads and shared one tie at 4-4. The Lady Warriors took their only lead at 7-6 on a McKendia Martin basket with 2:43 left in the first quarter.
The Lady Leopards (25-5) then turned up the screws on their full-court press. Banks County forced 16 first-half KIPP turnovers and a flurry of five straight steals in the second quarter ignited a 11-0 run to open the the period and five more later in the quarter helped the Lady Leopards close out the half with an 18-2 run as they exploded for a 43-14 halftime lead.
The Banks County defense stifled KIPP over the final 10:43 allowing just one field goal -- a wild 3-pointer by Martin to end the first quarter -- and just 4 points, all on free throws, in the second quarter.
The only blemish in the second quarter was an injury to Amber Williams, who went down with an apparent knee problem and did not return. Allison Smith and Maddie Thomas more than picked up the slack, however.
Smith poured in 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and Thomas added 9 points, many coming off KIPP turnovers.
“We’ll see what is said about Amber,” Shedd said. “You never like to see that and she does so much for us. But if she can’t go then we’ll just have to play with what we have. But we have confidence that no matter who is out they can do what we need done.”
The Lady Leopards squashed any hope of a KIPP comeback by picking up where they left off, opening the third quarter with a 14-1 run for a 57-15 lead late in the third quarter before employing the bench for all but a minute the rest of the way.
Smith finished with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and 4 steals to lead Banks County. Maddie Thomas added 17 points and 5 steals, Jaycie Bowen had 6 points and 6 rebounds, and Lauren Shedd dished 10 assists for the Lady Leopards. Williams had 6 points and 4 rebounds before getting hurt.
Martin finished with 12 points to lead KIPP (14-12) as the only player in double figures.
Banks County now will have the unenviable task of trying to take down defending state champion Laney in the quarterfinals. Laney fought off a pesky Swainsboro squad with a huge fourth quarter to turn a 1-point lead into a 76-50 victory.
A coin flip will be held on Friday to determine who will get the home court advantage between the two No. 1 seeds.
Shedd said they won’t be intimidated in maing the program's first state quarterfinal appearance since 1980.
“We don’t care who we play,” he said before knowing Laney had staved off the upset. “Of course we would rather play at home. It’s a great atmosphere here and we’ll need all the help we can get if its Laney. But if we have to go to their place, we’ll be ready.”
