MACON, Ga. — In the biggest game of her life, Emery Jones had the GAME of her life.
The sophomore Cherokee Bluff forward poured in a career-high 14 points, grabbed three rebounds, and had a pair of big steals in helping the Lady Bears pull off a stunning 66-58 victory over Baldwin to claim the Class 3A state title on Wednesday at the Macon Centreplex.
“I wanted this win. So I knew I really had to focus on playing my game and getting the shots that we needed,” Jones said.
Jones did the majority of her damage in a pivotal third quarter, with 7 points that helped turn a 33-27 halftime deficit into a 47-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“Emery Jones, oh my goodness, she was huge off the bench today, and we've been waiting for that,” Bluff coach Kassie Scott said. “She's been battling injury, but I knew she was ready to go today. Just so impressed with how calm and collected she was.”
After a three-point play from Claire Carlson gave Bluff a 50-46 lead to open the fourth, the defending Class 4A state champions Bravettes (25-7) never got closer.
The Lady Bears (25-8) built 7-point leads three separate times in the final period, hitting 8-of-12 free throws over the final 2:44. Two Baldwin turnovers in the final 30 seconds helped seal the championship for Bluff.
Scott has been saying throughout the playoffs that players make plays and that “your stars need to play like stars.” Carlson and Bristol Kersh more than answered the bell against Baldwin.
Carlson finished with 23 points, and Kersh had 22. The duo also combined for 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and eight steals.
“You got Claire and Bristol, who just have great court vision and are going to find the open man,” Scott said. “And we knocked down shots when we needed them. Bristol’s the battery, the energy that gets us going. She just stepped into her role today.”
But the key was the Bluff defense and the tall task it faced coming in of having to slow the Bravettes’ bruising inside trio of Kassidy Neal, Janaye Walker and Suri Clark, who came into the showdown averaging 43 points and 29 rebounds a game combined. As a team Baldwin came in shooting just under 50% from the field.
Neal, Walker, and Clark did not disappoint as they helped the Bravettes outrebound the Lady Bears 49-25 for the game. They had 21 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second-chance points.
But the Lady Bears countered with Halle Wilson (who fouled out), Jones, and a host of guards to double-down when the ball went inside. It was enough to hold the Bravettes to a near season-low 36.2% shooting in the game despite a monster performance from Walker, who had 21 points and 21 rebounds.
Clark had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Neal finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for Baldwin. But the rest of the Bravettes had just 10 points and five rebounds as the Lady Bears forced 20 turnovers that led to 23 huge points to help offset the massive rebounding edge.
Cherokee Bluff led briefly in the first half at 17-14 following four straight points from Kersh. But Baldwin exploded for a 17-4 run for a 31-21 lead and looked poised to put the game out of reach by halftime.
But Scott said she wasn’t worried after a basket by Jones, a 3-pointer from Carlson, and a free throw by Jones pulled them within 33-27 by the break. That was part of a 20-5 run for Bluff that proved to be the difference.
“These girls never quit. They never get down. They don't ever worry about what the scoreboard says,” Scott said. “I told them at halftime that the third and fourth quarters are where we shine. The fourth quarter is where we stand out.
“Our conditioning did play a factor in this game. Not just being able to run up and down the court, but knock down shots on top of defending some strong players down low. They did a great job in the second half.”
Carlson, who has been the quiet leader for the past three seasons, was still trying to soak it all in.
“We knew we had the ability to be here, but there were times when it probably didn’t look that way,” she said. “It still seems a little unreal right now. But it absolutely feels amazing to be able to win this. Just so proud of the entire team.”
