Print

Class AAA playoffs: North Hall bounces back to stun Sonoraville

Posted 9:59PM on Friday 21st February 2014 ( 10 years ago )
SONORAVILLE -- In the end, Kristi House said her players simply were not ready to be finished with the 2013-14 season.

"It's a special group, and they're not done being together yet," House said.

Thanks to their performance on Friday, the Lady Trojans could have plenty days left to keep each other company.

Fourth-seeded North Hall traveled to Region 5-AAA champ Sonoraville and walked away with a "Sweet 16" berth after pulling off a 62-53 victory.

The victory put an emphatic stop to a two-game losing skid that had seen the Lady Trojans, who finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed in Region 7-AAA, finish as No. 4 in the region tournament.

"Our kids have had faith and belief in each other," House said. "This is just a testament to them and they character."

North Hall will test themselves again on Monday against Woodward Academy, the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAA, which also pulled off a road win Friday, knocking out Franklin County.

The Lady Trojans showed they meant business early in their first round win, jumping out to a lead that swelled to 14 points by the second quarter. Yet Sonoraville charged right back and pulled within 45-44 at the start of the fourth quarter.

With the game in the balance, the Lady Trojans simply turned up the pressure, forcing some key turnovers and sinking critical free throws to pull away for the win.

Sydney Cleveland scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to pace North Hall, while Kensi Gillespie added 16 points. Katie Sayres also scored nine points.

"It felt good to get that win and bounce back," House said. "It was a great atmosphere in there, with a packed house. It was a fun game to be in, and I'm proud of how the girls responded."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/2/271509

© Copyright 2015 AccessNorthGa.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.