CARROLLTON, Ga. — Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.
Injuries and a balanced Deerfield-Windsor squad were just too much to overcome for Lakeview Academy in a frustrating 67-59 loss in the GIAA Class 3A semifinals at West Georgia University on Wednesday.
Dynamic Lakeview sophomore Dynasty Putman sprained her ankle on Tuesday in practice, and then senior Sidney Corbin went down early in the second quarter with an injury.
The Lady Lions were trailing just 23-17 at the time of Corbin’s injury, despite a hobbled Putman. But with their two primary ball handlers unable to make an impact on either end of the floor, Deerfield pounced.
The Lady Knights exploded for a 19-2 run over the final 6:42 of the second quarter turning a tight game into a 42-19 halftime lead. Lakeview never truly recovered.
“When Sidney went down, that changed our demeanor real fast,” Lakeview coach Karen Towles said afterward. “Full-court press on defense is part of our game plan, and that was just tough for us to overcome with both of them hurt. We created a huge hole early, and it was hard to climb out of.”
Deerfield jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the opening three minutes, turning three turnovers into six points, while Lakeview missed its first four shots. Putman ended the run with a free throw, and Taliah Gaither capped a 7-0 run to pull the Lady Lions within 11-8 late in the period.
But the Lady Knights answered with a 10-2 run for a 21-12 lead by the end of the first quarter on the strength of 13 points from guards Gabrielle Harris and Joi Hubbard. Lakeview trimmed the lead to 23-17 on a Jia Thapar basket with 6:42 left as the Lady Lions looked poised to get back in the game.
With Putman obviously slowed and then seeing Corbin unable to return, Deerfield took advantage. The Lady Knights had four different players score in the decisive run.
The Lady Lions fell down by as much as 51-27 in the third quarter. But they caught fire in the fourth.
After Kivana Bogne and Gaither combined for three free throws, Putman made her first driving basket of the game and then scored following a Madi Loggins steal to climb within 57-45 with 5:04 left.
But Deerfield (26-1) was able to match baskets over the next four minutes to maintain a double-digit lead. Putman hit her only 3-pointer of the game as the buzzer sounded for the final score.
“The girls left it all on the court. They didn’t give up and made a run in the fourth quarter,” Towles said. “It’s hard right now, but we have basically the entire team coming back next year. The health of the program is very good right now.”
Bogne finished with a team-high 20 points for Lakeview. Putman, who had just a pair of free throws in the first half, exploded for 12 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 18. Gaither had 17 for the Lady Lions (17-13).
Harris paced Deerfield with 23 points. Hubbard finished with 21 and Murphy Ray 11 for the Lady Knights.
Deerfield, the No. 1 overall seed, will take on Tiftarea Academy in the state title game on Friday at 6 p.m. at Mercer University in Macon.
