GHSA state tournament first round
TONIGHTClass AAAASt. Pius X girls (12-6) at Northwest Whitfield (22-5), 6Southeast Whitfield girls (17-9) at Redan (20-5), 6Class AAAEast Hall girls (20-6) at Ringgold (22-4), 6Banks County girls (14-13) at Sonoraville (22-5), 6Calhoun girls (19-7) at Dawson County (23-4), 6Class AADade County girls (17-9) at Holy Innocents’ (22-5), 6WEDNESDAYClass AAAANorthwest Whitfield (20-6) boys at Lithonia (22-5), 6Arabia Mountain girls (18-10) at Heritage (22-6), 6Columbia boys (12-12) at Heritage (20-8), 7:30Class AAABanks County boys (23-4) at Coahulla Creek (21-6), 6North Murray boys (18-8) at Lumpkin County (18-10), 6West Hall boys (14-13) at Calhoun (25-0), 7Ringgold boys (10-16) at East Hall (20-6), 7:30Class AAGAC boys (16-9) at Chattooga (23-4), 7
RINGGOLD, Ga. - It's been a season of firsts for the Heritage girls' basketball team, and though coach Eddie Bryant isn't the greedy sort, he wouldn't mind one more.
Fresh off winning the program's first region title and setting a new high for wins at 22, the Lady Generals get a shot at their first GHSA state playoff win and are hosting a playoff game for the first time.
"It feels great to get that first region title," said Bryant, whose team will host Arabia Mountain (18-10) on Wednesday in a 6 p.m. tipoff to a rare postseason double billing. "We came into practice this morning and everybody is walking with their heads in the air.
"This group has really worked hard since we started in the summer with workouts. They've done everything we've asked them to do. We're young, too, with just one senior, so hopefully everything will carry on to next year."
With the region-runner-up boys' team also hosting a first-round game, Bryant and boys' coach Kevin Terry wanted to keep the routine of playing two games the same, so they worked out the details with the visiting teams (the boys are hosting Columbia) and made it happen.
"We decided to do it because we thought we would have a better crowd and that's what we're used to anyway, a girls-boys doubleheader," Bryant said. "It gives us an extra day to prepare, especially being out of school today."
To get that first state win, his Generals will have to rely on the balance that's been prevalent during a five-game winning streak that included upsetting top-seeded Gilmer in the Region 7-AAAA semifinals and turning the tables on a Northwest Whitfield team that had beaten them by 36 two weeks ago.
Post Sydney Smith, wing Emily Wiley and guard Shayla Ludy each averages double figures in scoring, while point guard Tori Harvey runs the show. The team's only senior, guard Jenny Grant, is the team's defensive stopper.
"Our big three have played well all year and are consistent scorers," Bryant said of Ludy, Smith and Wiley. "Harvey's a great leader and Jenny Grant does all the dirty work for us. We're not very deep, but all the girls contribute."
The big challenge Wednesday will be keeping 6-foot-2 Arabia Mountain sophomore post Inyanla Kitchens from having her way inside, though Bryant plans to keep his team in a zone defense and clog the lane.
The challenge will be a bit different for the Heritage boys, who face a superior opponent athletically in a Columbia team that, while only 12-12 on the season, has a rich history of success.
"Columbia will be a big challenge," Terry said of the Lions, who had a recent streak of five state titles in six years. "They're extremely talented. However, of the four teams that came out of that region we might match up better against them than the other three."
The Generals have a nice inside-out duo in post Cole Wilcox and guard Hunter Erickson, who each averages 13 points a game. Heritage has struggled to score lately, though, which cost it a region title against Cartersville.
"We let one get away because we just couldn't score when we had several chances to stretch our lead out in the second half," Terry said. "Hopefully we can find our shot Wednesday or it's going to be tough."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.