GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Chestatee girls left no doubt in the first round of the Class 4A tournament on Tuesday.
Riley Black also left no doubt as she poured in 35 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lady War Eagles (24-5) to a 75-52 win over Woodland-Stockbridge at home. The Lady War Eagles also tied the record for most wins in a season.
“We had a couple of different conversations today about locking in and focusing,” Chestatee coach Sutton Shirley said. “I think the second time we had the lock-in type of conversation, it really hit home, and they were able to come out and play really well to start the game.”
The Lady War Eagles, led by Black’s 20 first-half points, sprinted out to a 37-15 halftime lead and led 59-35 at the end of the third quarter. They outscored Woodland 17-16 in the final quarter.
Peyton Cable finished with 15 points, and Sierra Yarbrough chipped in 8. London Loyal led Woodland with 15 points.
“Last week, we played three pretty good teams, two of those back to back,” Shirley said. “We had to really fight in those battles, but we had some success and gained some momentum coming out of those games. So, I was glad that we started the first half so well and kind of continued that momentum tonight.”
The Lady War Eagles will play Heritage-Catoosa on Friday at home. Game time is to be determined.
“It'll be a long night tonight of sitting and watching and trying to really break them down,” Shirley said about Heritage. “But from what I’ve seen, they are definitely different than the matchup we had tonight. There are several teams in our region that are very similar to them and have a similar makeup and style. Truthfully, I think they play a lot like North Hall, and I'm very grateful that they have to come here.”
