Heritage and Dalton lost in excruciating ways in Tuesday night’s GHSA girls Elite Eight basketball games, one mostly self-inflicted and the other determined by an official’s whistle.
One Northwest Georgia team did survive as Class AA No. 1 seed Murray County defeated Region 7 rival Sonoraville 57-41 in Chatsworth. The Lady Indians (29-1) will face Morgan County Friday at 1 in the Final Four at Georgia Southwestern University.
Dalton (26-4) lost an up-and-down game at home against North Oconee (29-1) in Class AAAA, 62-57, despite holding a nine-point lead in the first half and having a one-point edge with four minutes left in the game.
The Lady Catamounts, a Final Four team last year and region champion this season, lost that early advantage abruptly as the Titans rode star Kendall Walls (game-high 26 points) for six points in a 7-2 run to close the first half and blitzed Dalton with a 20-2 run to start the third period on six points from Walls and four 3-pointers to take what looked like an insurmountable 48-24 lead with 3:18 left in the quarter.
The Lady Cats, though, found their own hot hand in Alexia Gonzalez. With the Titans double-teamming Dalton star Aubriyana Camp whenever possible, Gonzalez stepped up with a pair of free throws to end Dalton’s skid and proceeded to hit four 3-pointers in the final 2:30 as part of a 16-2 run that evened the score at 50 entering the final quarter.
Dalton would take a 53-52 edge on BB Bates’ free throw, but Walls hit two free throws and added a putback for a 57-55 lead. The Lady Cats turned the ball over twice in the final two minutes and missed three 3-pointers.
Heritage fell 50-49 in Class AAA after Baldwin’s Janaye Walker was awarded two free throws with one second remaining. The 6-foot-2 post made one of two and the Generals never got a shot off in the rough loss.
Heritage had tied the score with four seconds left on Kellie Boehm’s 3-pointer from the left corner. Baldwin was given a timeout after inbounding the ball with two seconds remaining, but the clock was adjusted to five after an officials’ conference.
The 6-foot-2 Walker received the inbounds pass from midcourt, took two dribbles and heaved the ball at the basket as she fell down while Heritage defenders Macie Collins and Tori Epps backed off with their hands in the air. The whistle blew and the game soon ended.
Defense prevailed in the opening half as Heritage led 18-17, but three Camdyn Carter 3-pointers in a two-minute span gave the Generals a 31-23 lead late in the third quarter. That edge evaporated quickly as Walker scored nine points in a five-minute span that ended the third and started the fourth.
Suri Clark, Walker’s 6-1 frontcourt mate, hit a short shot from the lane to give Baldwin its first lead of the second half at 36-35, but Carter, who led Heritage with 20 points, scored four points in a quick 6-0 run to give the Generals a 43-38 lead with 3:28 remaining.
A 7-0 Baldwin run turned the tide again, but Carter answered with her fourth 3-pointer and a 46-45 lead with 1:40 left. Trinia Lawrence hit a layup and Walker added two free throws for a 49-46 Baldwin lead before Boehm’s bomb tied it to set up the controversial ending.
Macie Collins added seven points and eight rebounds, while Epps added eight points and five boards for Heritage. Clark had 13 points for Baldwin, which will face Fayette County in Friday’s Final Four.
At Murray County, Blaklee Ledford scored 23 points and had seven rebounds and six assists, while Callan Ledford scored 21 and added 10 boards and four assists as the Lady Indians won for the third time in four meetings with the Lady Phoenix (26-4).
Murray jumped out to a 16-5 lead after one and never trailed.
“We were expecting a dogfight because we know how tough Sonoraville is,” Murray coach Chris Tipton said. “But tonight we just came out and hit them in the mouth and played our tails off. They are a great team and well-coached and they have some strong, physical girls you have to deal with. We just played really well with great defense and we moved the ball really well.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.