Lady Raiders’ season comes to an end at Terrell Academy
Published 12:32 pm Wednesday, February 21, 2024
- Southland Academy junior point guard Adler Rae Owens is seen here competing for the Lady Raiders against Terrell Academy. Photo by Ken Gustafson
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
DAWSON, GA – The Southland Academy Lady Raiders (SAR) had their season come to an end Tuesday night, as the Lady Eagles of Terrell Academy jumped out to a 10-0 lead and took total control of the game from then on out on their way to a 50-30 victory over the Lady Raiders in the first round of the GIAA Class AAA State Playoffs at Terrell Academy.
“We were shaky early against their 1-3-1 half court trap and they shot the ball extremely well,” SAR Head Coach Chip Champion said. “Having to play a good team on their floor, when they get off to a hot start, it’s really tough, but I’m really proud of the kids for the way they fought all year. They got better and better every day and that was our goal from Day 1 and no doubt, we did what we needed to do.”
Gracie Burrell and Mary Beth Easterlin each had 11 points to lead the Lady Raiders and Emily Claire Bailey chipped in five points.
Southland Academy guard Emily Claire Bailey scored five points in the Lady Raiders’ loss to Terrell Academy.
Photo by Ken Gustafson
The Lady Raiders fell behind early, as TA went on a 10-0 run to start the game. Part of that run was due to the hot shooting of TA’s Sally Masters, who drilled a total of five three-pointers in the first quarter. The Lady Raiders were having difficulty getting into their offense and they committed several turnovers. As a result, the Lady Raiders found themselves trailing the Lady Eagles 21-4 by the end of the first quarter.
As the first half continued, SAR tried to get their offense going, but found it extremely difficult against the suffocating defense of the Lady Eagles. The Lady Raiders also continued having trouble stopping TA’s offense, as the Lady Eagles amassed a 33-11 lead by halftime.
Over the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Lady Raiders tried to be patient on offense and they outscored TA 7-6 before TA called a timeout with 3:51 to go.
However, out of the timeout, Masters drained another three-pointer to give the Lady Eagles a 42-18 lead.
For the remainder of the game, the Lady Raiders fought extremely hard, but in the end, the Lady Eagles would come away with a 50-30 win.
Sally Masters led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 18 points.
With the loss, the Lady Raiders finish the season with a record of 6-18.
