DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — You knew something had to give between No. 2 Lumpkin County and No. 3 Wesleyan on Saturday in the Region 7-3A championship.
The two powerhouses came in having 17 straight games combined. The Lady Wolves left with an impressive 62-52 win at the Ford Phillips Center to capture the region title.
A swarming Wesleyan defense hounded the Lumpkin County shooters the entire way, forcing a dismal 4-for-22 performance from 3-point range. The Lady Wolves’ Chit Chat Wright had that many treys herself in the first half, igniting a huge second quarter run that put the Lady Indians on their heels the rest of the way.
Wright, the region Co-Player of the Year, had 20 of her game-high 26 points in the first half. The Lady Indians had just 24 and trailed by 10 at the half.
Lumpkin County (22-4) was looking for its third consecutive region title. Instead, the defending Class 3A state champion Lady Indians will take the No. 2 seed into next week’s region tournament.
“Wesleyan did a great job of making us take the shots they wanted us to instead of us taking the shots we wanted to,” Lumpkin County coach David Dowse said. “We did a very poor job of guarding Chit Chat. They were a lot more physical than us, and that was the difference to me.”
The first quarter was what many expected, as there were five lead changes and one tie. The Lumpkin County defense swiped five steals, turning those into 6 points and an eventual 17-16 lead after the opening eight minutes.
But the second quarter was all Lady Wolves (24-3). Wright poured in 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to spark a 16-1 run and a 32-18 lead. The Lady Indians went cold from the field at the same time, missing all seven 3-pointers in the period and were just 2-for-12 from long range in the first half.
But Lumpkin pulled back within 32-24 on consecutive baskets by Mary Mullinax, Averie Jones, and Lexi Pierce. Wesleyan’s Londyn Walker got a steal and layup with seconds left for a 34-24 halftime lead.
But Wesleyan opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run and maintained a double-digit lead the entire second half. The Lady Wolves led 50-33 heading into the fourth, essentially ending the Lady Indians’ bid for a third straight region crown.
"We'll be fine heading into the playoffs, but (Class) 3A is very tough again," Dowse said. "We just need to play our style."
Johanna Potter had 19 points for Wesleyan, mostly inside the paint.
Co-Player of the year Mary Mullinax poured in 17 points to pace Lumpkin County. Jackson and Pierce each finished with 10, and Averie Jones had 8 for the Lady Indians.
