COLUMBUS — Unfortunately for Flowery Branch, Southwest DeKalb showed why it has made eight of the last 10 Final Fours.
The defending champion Lady Panthers forced three straight Flowery Branch turnovers in a key sequence of events, and then drained 14-of-18 free throws in the fourth quarter to turn a 47-44 third quarter deficit into a 66-63 victory in the Class AAAAA semifinals Saturday at Columbus State University.
Flowery Branch had led from the late first quarter into the fourth quarter before the three miscues led to an 8-0 run to open the final period. The Lady Falcons caught SWD twice at 54 on a pair of Julianne Sutton free throws and then at 57 on a Lexi Sengkhemmee 3-pointer. But they never led again.
“There’s a reason (Southwest DeKalb) has been there that many times,” Flowery Branch coach Courtney Newton-Gonzalez said. “They showed it in the fourth quarter. Basketball is a game of runs and they made the last one.”
Flowery Branch came out loose and fancy-free running uptempo with the defending champions to start the game. They matched the Lady Panthers virtually basket for basket most of the first quarter. The two teams traded the lead six times with six ties in the first five minutes.
Lanee Edwards opened the game with a steal and layup for Southwest DeKalb. Flowery Branch took its first lead at 8-6 on a pair of Taniyah Worth free throws.
A Lexi Sengkhemmee 3-pointer with 2:41 left in the opening period gave the Lady Falcons a 15-14 lead which ignited a 14-6 overall run for a 26-18 lead midway through the second quarter. Flowery Branch extended the lead to 32-23 with just over two minutes left on a driving layup by Worth. They took a 35-31 lead into the intermission.
Worth, a junior, and SWD’s Jada Walton staged their own personal shootout in the first half. Worth poured in 18 points and Walton, a Texas A&M-signee, had 17 for the Lady Panthers.
“I thought we played very well in the first half,” Newton-Gonzalez said. “We showed that we can play with anyone.”
But things began to turn quickly at the start of the third quarter. Julianne Sutton picked up her third foul, Worth pickup her second, and then Queen Scott was called for her third all within a minute of each other.
“Those quick fouls, especially Queen, who is our best defender, really hurt and took us out of our rhythm a litte bit,” Newton-Gonzalez said.
The Lady Panthers capitalized pulling within 45-44 on a Chantz Cherry driving basket off a Walton dish. Without Scott and Sutton on the floor for Flowery Branch, SWD also switched its defense in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to help spark the run to grab the lead.
After Sengkhemmee’s 3-pointer tied the game at 57 with 3:06 left, the Lady Panthers answered with six straight free throws while forcing two more Flowery Branch turnovers for a 63-57 lead with 48 seconds left.
An intentional foul on the Lady Falcons with 11 seconds left trailing 64-61 sealed the win as SWD sank both free throws and got the ensuing possession.
Worth finished with a game-high 33 points to lead Flowery Branch. Sutton added 10, eight coming in the second half, and Senghemmee had nine on three 3-pointers for the Lady Falcons.
Walton had 23 to lead SWD. Central Florida-signee Ogheneruona Uwusiaba added 13, nine in the second half along with four big offensive rebounds, and Cherry chipped in with 10, six in the pivotal fourth quarter for the Lady Panthers.
The Lady Panthers will take on the Buford-Griffin winner at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the Class AAAAA finals at Stegeman Coliseum at the University of Georgia.
SWD coach Kathy Walton, who was Newton-Gonzalez's AAU coach for two years, was impressed with how her former player had her group ready.
"She had her players ready to play," Walton said. "They came out and executed. Our kids have been here before and they looked like deer in a headlight. The second half they settled down and got with the game plan."
Despite the disappointing finish, Newton-Gonzalez said she feels it is the beginning of a bright future for the program.
“You have to get here to get the experience,” she said. “We did that. I thought we played well for the most part. The girls are heartbroken right now, which is understandable.
"But the seniors set a new standard for the program making history and I feel this could be the start of big things. Who knows, maybe in 10 years it’s us who has been eight times. That’s what we’re trying to build here.”
