RINGGOLD, Ga. - Sydney Pittman scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter Saturday as the senior led Ringgold to a 68-53 win over Hart County in the opening round of the GHSA Class AAA girls' basketball state tournament.
Rachel Akers and Rachel Lopez each contributed 12 points for the Lady Tigers, who notched their 19th win against eight losses this season. The Region 6 runners-up will travel to Region 4 champion Rutland, which beat Liberty County 52-29 in the first round, for a second round-game that will be played Wednesday or Thursday.
"We played hard and tough and were mentally focused," Ringgold coach Margaret Stockburger said. "We've got five seniors who did not want to be done."
Spurred by Pittman, Ringgold sprinted to an 18-5 lead. The Lady Bulldogs (15-14) steadied themselves, though, and closed the gap to seven before another Ringgold senior, Sarah Headrick, hit a straight-on 3-pointer to give her team a 10-point cushion at the first break.
Headrick's triple started a 10-0 run that padded the lead to 15, but Hart County would not go away. The Lady Bulldogs responded with an 11-0 run of their own, pulling to within four at 30-26. Ringgold needed a late Pittman bucket to extend its lead to six entering halftime.
"(Hart County) has a great program - they've won eight state championships," Stockburger said. "When you get to this stage, every team's going to put some runs together. The key is to weather the storms.
"I told our players (at halftime) to stay calm and not to allow their run to make us panic."
Hart County's Tanya Alexandra asserted herself on the low block in the third quarter, scoring eight of her 21 points in that stretch, but her team got no closer than eight and trailed by 10 heading into the final period.
After Alexandra scored with 7:19 left, Ringgold held Hart County without a field goal for the next 5:44. The Lady Tigers eased away in the meantime, extending their lead to as much as 20.
Contact Bob Gary Jr. at sports@timesfreepress.com.