ATHENS, Ga. — Chestatee coach Sutton Shirley's message at halftime was "keep shooting the open shots."
Trailing at the half, 26-24, the message was heard loud and clear by Shirley's Lady War Eagles (20-7) as they rallied to a 52-42 win over North Oconee to advance to their first Region 8-4A championship game since 2016 on Friday.
"We couldn't throw it in the ocean in the second quarter," Shirley said. "North Oconee did a good job of taking away paint shots. I told the girls we had to keep shooting open shots, and they would start falling."
The drought ended with a downpour of 3-pointers from Addison Boyd and Riley Allison to wash away the first half shooting frustration. It also allowed the Lady War Eagles to chip away at North Oconee's advantage and eventually take the lead in the fourth quarter for good.
"Addison and Riley's shots were huge," Shirley said.
Sophomore Riley Black turned in another double-double performance with 15 points and 10 rebounds, including 9-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. She also dished out five assists. Allison ended the night with 12 points, and Bowen Corley and Boyd tossed in 10 each. Corley also grabbed eight rebounds and four assists.
Shirley credited the composure of the team after the game.
"Our young kids, Payton Cable, Riley Black, Addison Boyd, Caroline Bull, Sierra Yarbrough, did a great job of playing with composure during the game," Shirley said. "Our two seniors, Riley Allison and Bowen Corley helped us weather the storm when we were struggling offensively."
