8-AAAA championship: Cold shooting dooms Lady War Eagles

OAKWOOD -- There were probably moments on Friday when the Chestatee girls basketball team wondered if a lid had been fixed to the rim.

The Lady War Eagles struggled from the floor from the outset, making just two first half field goals en route to a 54-26 loss to Madison County in the Region 8-AAAA championship game in Oakwood.

The Lady Red Raiders fed off Chestatee's slow start, surging ahead 13-2 after the first quarter and 24-11 at the half.

Needing a strong second half performance, the Lady War Eagles continued to struggle offensively, sinking just 3 of 15 shot attempts -- Madison County, meanwhile, went a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the third quarter en route to a 41-22 advantage that held firm.

Elise Coberly led the Lady Red Raiders (20-8) with a game-high 17 points, while Mya Moss added 14.

Sam Brown led Chestatee with 11 points, while Erin Clifford added nine. The Lady War Eagles will look to bounce back in the first round of the state playoffs next week when they play host to the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAA.

Chestatee struggled from the outset, as both Kenimer and Brown worked their way into good positions only to watch their shots fall wide. Madison County took advantage of the cold shooting, jumping ahead 13-2 after the first quarter, as Haley Gordon drained one 3-pointer and converted a three-point play near the end of the period.

The Lady Red Raiders continued to pull away at the start of the second quarter, growing in confidence as Nekia Brown's putback made it 24-4 with 3:00 left in the half.

Yet the Lady War Eagles continued to battle and finally found some offense just before the interval, Brown and Clifford each nailing 3-pointers to pull within 24-11.

Yet Chestatee couldn't maintain their momentum after halftime, as Madison County continued to pull away, denying the Lady War Eagles their first region title.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/2/258373