BOGART, Ga. — A frustrating 58-55 loss to North Oconee by Cherokee Bluff dashed any hopes of an all-Hall County final between Chestatee and the Lady Bears for the Region 8-4A title.
The Lady Bears battled foul trouble, a nagging injury to Bristol Kersh, and a spirited Lady Titans team playing at home on Thursday night.
For its part, Chestatee led most of the way in a 68-62 win over Walnut Grove. Senior Riley Black had another huge game, pouring in 30 points and grabbing 22 rebounds to lead the Lady War Eagles into a second-consecutive championship game on Friday.
“My kids have done a great job of working their tails off consistently since...last year,” Chestatee coach Sutton Shirley said. “(We’re) excited to have another opportunity to win a region championship for this community.”
Chestatee (22-5) built several double-digit leads. But the Lady Warriors (16-8) chipped away in the second half to get under 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Lady War Eagles, however, were able to hang on down the stretch.
Payton Cable had 15 points and 9 rebounds for Chestatee. Addison Boyd added 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Caroline Bull had 6 points and 5 rebounds for the Lady War Eagles.
Chestatee will take on North Oconee in the finals on Friday at North Oconee. It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Lady Titans (19-8), who did not make the playoffs in 2023.
“North Oconee is a talented, well-coached team, and playing at their place is definitely an advantage for them,” Shirely said. “But my kids are hungry and have been all season long.”
For Cherokee Bluff, it was a struggle most of the way. Bristol Kersh was limited due to an injury and early foul trouble saw Kaitlin Cook have to come out with three fouls.
The Lady Bears did lead 16-11 late in the first quarter, but with Cook and Kersh out at the same time, the Lady Titans took advantage. North Oconee turned that deficit into a 28-24 halftime lead.
Bluff opened the third quarter with an 11-3 run, capped by Kersh's basket, for a 35-31 lead and looked ready to extend its lead. A Claire Carlson 3-pointer gave them a 38-35 lead, but three Aiyanna Peavy free throws with 1 second left in the third quarter reclaimed the lead for North Oconee heading into the fourth.
The Lady Titans used that to run out to a 50-42 lead midway through the final quarter. Bluff rallied to take a 52-51 lead, but the Lady Titans closed out the game with a 7-3 run. The Lady Bears also missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Bluff (22-6) saw its eight-game win streak snapped and now drops into the consolation round on Friday to play Walnut Grove for the No. 3 seed. Lady Bears coach Kassie Scott said they are not done, however.
“My girls have a lot to be proud of. They competed and responded to adversity in all four quarters. We all know what it’s like playing in North Oconee’s gym,” Scott said. “But our season isn’t over yet. Of course, we wanted to be playing for (region) championship, but now we have to shift our focus and play tomorrow for decent seeding for the state tournament.”
Peavy finished with 21 points to lead North Oconee.
Cook had 15 points to pace Bluff despite playing with three fouls or more for nearly three quarters. Carlson had 13 and Kersh finished with 12, 10 coming in the second half after returning.
