MACON — Familiarity can sometimes be your worst enemy.
Such was the case for Rabun County on Thursday in the Class 2A state championship game.
Playing fellow Region 8-2A foe Elbert County for the fourth time this season, none of the tricks the Lady Wildcats had employed during their rampage through the Class 2A field to get to the finals worked as they fell behind in the first half and never caught up in a 52-44 loss.
It was the first-ever state title for Elbert County (27-4) which came in with the most wins in Class 2A.
Rabun County (25-5) came into the game having won seven straight, including four in the playoffs by an average of 19 points. The Lady Wildcats also had won two of the first three meetings with the Lady Blue Devils, including taking a 47-40 win in the Region Championship game in Tiger. However, all three matchups were won by the home team. Thursday's showdown was the first neutral court meeting.
With Elbert County defenders in their face virtually the entire game, Rabun County shot a dismal 23.9 percent (11-of-46; 2-of-15 3-pointers) for the game. Thirteen missed free throws also did not help their cause.
“Elbert has been a tough defensive team all season but we’re used to playing against that style,” a dejected Rabun County coach DeeDee Dillard said afterwards. “We got some good looks but we just couldn’t get that many shots to fall. Their defense may have had something to do with that, maybe some nerves on our part, but we didn’t shoot as well as we have been most of the season.”
Rabun County started strong taking an early 7-4 lead on a Sarah Kate Roberson 3-pointer. But Elbert County used an 8-2 run, including 3-pointers from Niya Moon and Aaniyah Allen, to grab a 12-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
A Gracie Deetz basket reclaimed the lead for Rabun County at 13-12 but the Lady Blue Devils answered again, this time with an 11-2 run for a 23-15 lead, and they took a 25-19 advantage to halftime. Rabun County never got closer than four the rest of the way.
Elbert County eventually built a 34-21 lead midway through the third quarter on consecutive steals and layups by Allen. The Lady Blue Devils led 39-27 with 1:31 left in the period when the Lady Wildcats looked to grab the momentum.
An Elbert foul on Lucy Hood turned into a double-technical and then a technical foul on the Elbert bench. Hood hit two free throws, Carley Haban hit the two technical foul shots, and Deetz converted two inside baskets within 30 seconds to cap a quick 8-0 run to get within 39-35 by the end of the third quarter.
Elbert’s Terrace Hester also fouled out during the wild sequence, leading the Lady Blue Devils with 12 points at the time.
“That was a huge momentum swing for us and we felt pretty good right there,” Dillard said. “But then we had Carley and Lucy both sitting on the bench at the end of the quarter with four fouls so we had to back off a little bit on our own defense.”
The Lady Blue Devils took advantage to start the fourth using an 8-3 run to get to 47-38 with just 1:59 left. Elbert County did not back off its defensive pressure, however, and held Rabun to just one field goal the rest of the way while hitting 5-of-8 free throws over the final 51 seconds.
The Elbert defense keyed on Rabun senior point guard Sophie Woodard and held her to 0-of-12 shooting and just 6 points. Haban, also a senior, finished with 18 points to pace the Lady Wildcats before fouling out late. Deetz, another senior, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Allen led Elbert with 17 points and 6 rebounds and Niya Moon had 14 points, including 9-of-12 from the free throw line, most of those coming in the fourth quarter.
It was another tough ending for the Lady Wildcats, who lost in the 2017 title game. But Dillard said the program is primed to continue its forward momentum after two championship game appearances in six seasons. Hood, a sophomore, had 6 points and 4 rebounds. The also were without another sophomore, Ellie Southards, most of the season.
“These seniors have inspired this young group by going, ‘This is what it looks like, and this is what it takes,’” she said. “It’s hard to get here, and it’s hard to win it. But I hope this experience will make them hungry to get back here.”
