HOSCHTON, Ga. — A young and rebuilding Johnson girls team snagged its first win of the season Tuesday night on the road in a Region 8-4A crossover matchup.
The Lady Knights held Seckinger to just 2 fourth-quarter points to pull out a 33-26 victory and snap a 20-game losing streak going back to last season.
Junior guard Destiny Ramirez led seven Johnson scorers with 11 points. Alana Young added 6 points, and Alexa Brown, Marijane See, and Kenisha Avila all had 4 points for the Lady Knights.
Johnson (1-15, 0-6 Sub A) led 6-5 early on but fell behind 16-15 by halftime to the Lady Jaguars (1-18, 0-5 Sub B). The Lady Knights used an 11-8 third quarter to grab the lead and then outscored Seckinger 7-2 in the fourth to put it away.
The game was won at the free throw line. Johnson was 11-of-19 for the game, while Seckinger was just 3-for-17 for the game.
CHESTATEE 61,
NORTH OCONEE 52
The Lady War Eagles remained the only unbeaten in Region 8-4A with a big road win in a crossover showdown between the top two teams in the subdivided region.
Riley Black poured in 24 points to go with 11 rebounds as Chestatee (15-4, 6-0 Region 8-4A Sub A) led 17-9 after the first quarter and took a 30-21 lead into the break. The Lady War Eagles outscored North Oconee (14-6, 3-2 Region 8-4A Sub B) 16-10 in the third to run out to a 46-31 advantage.
Payton Cable had a career-high 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Caroline Bull finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers for Chestatee.
Kendall Wells led the way for North Oconee with 19 points and Aiyanna Peavy added 13.
Chestatee has a huge subregion tilt with arch-rival North Hall on Friday at home.
FLOWERY BRANCH 52,
CLARK CENTRAL 48
The Lady Falcons rallied in the fourth quarter to pull out a big road win in a crucial Region 8-5A contest.
Flowery Branch (12-7, 5-2 Region 8-5A) moved one-half game ahead of Jefferson and into second place with the win, its second straight and fourth in its last five games, all in region play.
It was an uphill battle all the way for Branch, which trailed throughout. The Lady Gladiators (2-16, 1-6 Region 8-5A) opened the game with a 14-7 run and took a 21-17 lead into halftime.
Clarke Central extended its lead to 39-34 heading into the fourth quarter. But the Lady Falcons finally caught fire over the final 8 minutes.
Behind Bella Brick, Branch outscored the Lady Gladiators 18-9 to pull out the win.
Brick finished with 20 points, and Jess Tamlin added 10 for Branch. Kaitlin Cangiolosi chipped in with 9 for the Lady Falcons.
GAINESVILLE 54,
JACKSON COUNTY 33
After a close first quarter, the Lady Red Elephants (16-1, 4-1 Region 8-6A) found their rhythm.
Up 12-8 at the end of the first eight minutes, Kedria Young set Gainesville on a 17-5 run to take total control by halftime, 27-13.
Young scored eight points in the second quarter and finished with a game-high 14 points.
Mattie White, Drea Mattox, KeKe Jones and Julia Payne pushed Gainesville's lead to 48-19 by the end of the third quarter.
Mattox and Payne chipped in 8 points each for the Lady Red Elephants. Zaria Williams finished with 7, and White had 6.
Hanna Mahoney led Jackson County (5-13, 1-4 Region 8-6A) with 11 points.
BUFORD 61,
COLLINS HILL 54
The Lady Wolves outpaced Collins Hill 25-13 in the final quarter to get the Region 8-6A win on the road Tuesday.
Ava Grace Watson led the Buford rally with 9 points in the fourth quarter. She finished the night with 23 points.
Collins Hill held Buford to just six points in the second quarter to take a 24-16 lead. Buford closed the gap to five points by the end of the third period, 41-36.
Taylor Romano added 13, and Lydia Ledford chipped in 12 points.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY 50,
GEORGE WALTON 46
The Lady Lions used a big second-half rally to stay perfect in GIAA AAAA/AAA District 4 play.
Lakeview Academy (9-10, 2-0 GIAA AAAA/AAA District 4) led 9-8 early, fell behind 27-22 at halftime, but climbed to within 36-35 heading into the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Bulldogs (13-2, 1-1 GIAA AAAA/AAA District 4) 15-10 down the stretch.
Dynesty Putman had a huge game with 18 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds to pace Lakeview. Taliah Gaither also had a big game with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Jia Thapar chipped in 6 points and Sidney Corbin 5 for the Lady Lions.
The Lady Lions will next play host to Loganville Christian at home on Friday in another big region showdown.
WESLEYAN 72,
DAWSON COUNTY 43
The Lady Tigers kept it close early against the No. 2-ranked Lady Wolves, but a rough second quarter turned the tide in a Region 7-3A battle in Norcross.
Dawson County (9-9, 2-4 Region 7-3A) trailed just 17-14 after the opening period. But Wesleyan (15-2, 5-1 Region 7-3A) used a 22-7 run in the second to blow it open. The Lady Wolves pushed a 39-21 halftime into a 60-35 advantage heading into the fourth.
Chazadi Wright and Londyn Walker each had 15 points, while Eva Garabadian and Johanna Potter both had 14 points for the Lady Wolves.
Abby Slaton led Dawson County with 12 points, 10 in the second half. Kirklyn Porter finished with 8 points but did not score in the second half. Morgan Chester had 6, all in the first half, for the Lady Tigers.
WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 62,
LANIER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 21
For the second time in four days, the Lady Lightning fell to Westminster Christian Academy in a non-region battle.
The loss dropped LCA to 9-10 overall on the season.
Ellie Roberts led LCA with 7 points. Camille Hoffmann had 6 points, Adelyn Gough 4, and Faith Bolton and Shae Tumlin both had 3 apiece for the Lady Lightning.
LCA will travel to Killian Hill Christian on Friday in a GAPPS region battle.
NORTH HALL 67,
MADISON CO. 43
Kristina Peach scored 19 points, swiped six stills and pulled four rebounds to help the Lady Trojans past Madison County on Tuesday.
Amelia Shoemaker added 14 points and five rebounds.
NORTH FORSYTH 54,
APALACHEE 16
Erin Wahlen and London Weaver scored 14 points each to lead the Lady Raiders past Apalachee at home on Tuesday.
Kamryn Gardner added 11.
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