JEFFERSON — Without their top player available, the Jefferson girls played a near-flawless three quarters Wednesday in their Elite 8 showdown with Pickens in the Class 4A playoffs.
The Lady Dragons had just three turnovers to the Dragonettes’ 13 and led 45-33 with just eight minutes remaining to their first Final Four trip since 2006.
But it all unraveled in the fourth. Jefferson had more turnovers (7) than points (5) and Pickens used that momentum for a 16-3 run over final 6:54 to rally for an improbable 51-50 victory at The Arena.
However, the Dragonettes had to survive three Jefferson possessions in the final 30 seconds to pull off the final escape.
“We had some real good looks there at the end but we couldn’t get anything to fall,” Jefferson coach Greg Brown said. “But the turnovers late were big.”
The Lady Dragons missed 3-of-4 free throws and a pair of layups over their last five possessions. They also committed four turnovers in the final 2:44 with a chance to add on to a slim 49-46 lead. But they also got help when the Dragonettes missed the front end of a 1-and-1 attempt with 23 seconds left.
“Not having (senior) Natalia (Bolden) obviously was a big loss. She’s been our physical and emotional leader all season,” Brown said. “I thought the girls played well overall and really overcame a lot of adversity over the past week. But it’s a tough way to end the year, for sure.”
Jefferson (26-4) took a 45-33 lead into the final quarter. After a 6-0 Pickens run, Deshona Gaither hit a pair of free throws to push it back to 49-41 with 3:41 left. But 3-pointers from the Dragonettes’ Amanda Nelson and Emmie Moore tied the game at 49 with 2:03 remaining.
Both teams missed shots on three consecutive possessions until Pickens took its first lead since the second quarter, 51-49, on a Caroline Mullins basket with 41 seconds left. Gaither hit 1-of-2 free throws with 13 seconds left, but despite getting two Pickens turnovers in the final 10 seconds, Jefferson could not get the game-winner to fall.
“(The girls) may have gotten a little nervous at the end but we still had plenty of chances to win it. We just couldn’t get that last shot to fall,” Brown said. “I am extremely proud of the effort they gave.”
It is the first semifinals appearance for Pickens since 2000. The Dragonettes next will take on the winner of the Marist/Heritage-Catoosa matchup in the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. at Fort Valley State.
The first half saw nine lead changes, including one stretch of four consecutive alternating possessions, and four ties as the two teams went back-and-forth the entire 16 minutes.
Jefferson opened with a 7-2 run, capped by a Gaither 3-pointer less than three minutes in. Moore scored the Dragonettes’ first seven points, including a long 3-pointer to tie the game at 7. A three-point play by Nelson gave Pickens its first lead at 10-9 but a basket by Jyesha Butts and a Gaither shot closed out a 6-2 run to end the period for Jefferson and a 15-12 lead.
The Dragonettes answered back to start the second as Nelson hit another 3-pointer and Mullins added a stick-back basket for a 17-15 lead. After a Gaither driving basket, Madison Powell hit a 3-pointer for Pickens but Kinlaw hit a 3-pointer for Jefferson to start a 7-1 spurt over the final 2:40 to give the Lady Dragons a 25-21 halftime lead.
Nelson finished with 17 points to pace Pickens, 11 coming in the second half comeback. Moore had 10 points and Mullins 9 for the Dragonettes.
Gaither had a game-high 22 to lead Jefferson, but was held to just 5 free throws in the fourth quarter. No else had more than six for the Lady Dragons, as Kinlow, Hailey Triaga, Tylia Brown, and Kendall Bailey combined for just 20 points as a group.
NOTES: Pickens has now taken out two region champs in consecutive rounds on the road. They knocked off Region 1-4A champ Dougherty in the Sweet 16. ... With the semifinal round at a neutral site, the Dragonettes finished the season a perfect 10-0 on the road, including playoffs. ... After a 2-2 start, the Dragonettes have gone 24-1 since. ... Jefferson was 13-0 at The Arena until Wednesday night. ... The loss for the Lady Dragons was the sixth consecutive year they have lost in the Elite 8 round.
