TUNNEL HILL, Ga. - Eddie Bryant admits he's not usually an overly optimistic sort, but Friday was different for the Heritage High School girls' basketball coach.
Bryant woke up Friday morning with nothing but positive thoughts about the evening's Region 7-AAAA showdown at Northwest Whitfield, a program Heritage had never beaten. The upbeat mood, as it turned out, was realistic as the Lady Generals used 20 points from freshman Emily Wiley to shock the Lady Bruins, 47-42.
"For whatever reason - and normally you have to play a perfect game to win at Northwest, it's just so tough - I woke up this morning and felt we had a great chance tonight," Bryant said. "I'm so pleased with this team because everyone knows you have to go through Northwest to win this region."
Heritage (12-4, 6-1) was teetering on the edge early in the third period when Peyton Maret's layup gave Northwest (12-4, 5-2) a 28-21 lead. However, with Lady Bruins starters Mary Kate Allen and Whitley Brooker on the bench with three fouls each, Heritage took quick advantage.
A Sydney Smith layup sparked a 13-5 run to end the period, capped by a three-point play from Wiley, who was just beginning her story.
Ahead by one to start the final stanza, Wiley drove for two points. Then, after both teams traded several empty possessions, she hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a suddenly massive 42-35 lead. Northwest, kept out of the lane most of the night by a packed-in Heritage defense, went ice cold, not scoring for nearly four minutes.
Wiley also hit three of four free throws in the final minute to help seal one of the program's biggest wins. Her career best came just two weeks after having her appendix removed.
"I wanted to play last Friday but just couldn't do it, but I played some Tuesday. And tonight, since we had never beaten Northwest, I had to go," she said. "I knew we were starting to get down in the third quarter and I had to do something. My team never let me down and kept getting me the ball where I could shoot."
Bryant at one point had to urge his freshman to be a little selfish.
"On one of her big shots the girl guarding her kept backing up and I told Emily to just let it go - and boy, did she," Bryant said. "Emily is probably in the top two players I've had as far as her work ethic is concerned. She did a great job tonight. The great thing about her is she can play the paint and she can also shoot the 3."
Northwest, which shot an uncharacteristic 30 percent, also committed five fourth-period turnovers and did not have a player score in double figures.
"Heritage deserves the credit; they played really well," Northwest coach Greg Brown said. "They had a good plan and they forced us to shoot a lot from the perimeter, and we didn't shoot it well. You can't shoot 30 percent and beat anybody good. We've got to learn from tonight and get better. We get to play them again, but we've put ourselves in a hole."
Shayla Ludy, who kept Heritage in the game early, finished with 17 points, while Chandler Hiland topped Northwest with nine.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.