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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 BARROW JOURNAL PAGE 3B Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs basketball: Class AAAAA State Championship Preview TANNER KATE SAULS LEXI MADDOX OLIVIA NELSON-ODODA LATRICE PERKINS ANTORIA JOHNSON TIERA MAYWEATHER JAKAYLA BAYLEY SULLIVAN RANDALL KAYLA SHONTERIA HUBBARD HARRIS CHELLIA WATSON High School Basketball: Final Four High School Basketball: Elite Eight WBHS continues state tournament success with win against Brunswick Lady Doggs defeat Mays in quarterfinals By Chris Bridges Journal Sports Editor Winder-Barrow High School 51 Mays High School 46 By Chris B ridg'es Journal Sports Editor The winning continued for the Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bull doggs Saturday (Feb. 27). WBHS defeated Bruns wick 65-52 in a Class AAAAA state semifi nal game and has now advanced to the state championship against Southwest DeKalb, to be played Friday at 7 p.m. in Macon. The Lady Bulldoggs controlled Saturday’s contest throughout and while Brunswick pulled to within two points after the third quarter (45-43), and took a one-point lead on two occasions in the fourth quarter, it was WBHS which closed the game out on a 17-3 run. After finishing last month’s 8-AAAAA tour nament as a No. 4 seed, the Lady Bulldoggs are the final team standing WBHS 65 Brunswick 52 from the region. South west DeKalb defeated Sequoyah 55-47 in the other semifinal contest in Columbus. WBHS has now won three state tournament games in Columbus, including a victory at Carver-Columbus High School and wins at Columbus State Univer sity against Mays High School and Brunswick. In Saturday’s semi final contest, the Lady Pirates never led by more than two points and that included a 2-0 lead to start the contest. Bruns wick, which finishes the season 30-3 overall, held brief one-point leads in the fourth quarter. Nelson-Ododa, the Region 8-AAAAA Player of the Year, finished with 29 points for the Lady Bulldoggs, including 20 “We have handled all the pressure other teams have put on us. Each of the teams we have seen have applied full court pressure. However, we have found a way to execute. That has certainly been an impressive thing to me.” — Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs coach Brandon Thomas Winder-Barrow vs. Southwest DeKalb •The Game: Winder-Barrow High School vs. Southwest DeKalb, GHSA Class AAAAA girls basketball state championship, 7 p.m., Friday, Macon Centreplex • Records: Winder-Barrow High School, 26-6; Southwest DeKalb 26-6 •Coaches: Brandon Thomas, WBHS; Kathleen Richey Walton, Southwest DeKalb State Tournament Wins: Winder-Barrow: Villa Rica 53-32; Carver-Columbus 49-43; Mays 51-46; Brunswick 65-52; Southwest DeKalb: Rome 65-22; Cross Creek 62-42; Columbus 65-50; Sequoyah 55-47 • Key Players: Winder-Barrow: Olivia Nelson- Ododa, Tiera Mayweather, Latrice Perkins, Chellia Watson, Lexi Maddox; Southwest DeKalb: Ashton Draper, Daisa Alexander •Notes: The Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs continue their remarkable run through the Class AAAAA state tournament, recording wins against Mays High School in the Elite Eight and Brunswick in the semifinals. Both games were played at Columbus State University last week. The team has been play ing at a high level and a key this Friday will be to continue that quality play after several days in between the semifinals and state champion ship. •They Said It: WBHS sophomore player T.K. Sauls: “With all the work we have put in, we want to finish Friday off with a win and bring home the state championship." •Barrow Journal Prediction: WBHS, 60, Southwest DeKalb 59 in the first half. Brunswick never had an answer for the 6-4 sopho more on either end of the court as Nelson-Ododa also had numerous blocks in the semi-final contest. Coach Brandon Thomas said he was impressed with how his team responded to losing the lead not only in the Brunswick game, but also in the Elite Eight contest against Mays. “We have been handling all the pressure other teams have put on us,” Thomas said. “Each of the teams we have seen have applied full court pressure. However, we have found a way to exe cute. That has certainly been an impressive thing to me.” The slipper still fits this Cinderella. The Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs have done it again, defeating Mays High School 51-46 in the Class AAAAA state quarterfinals in Columbus. Thursday afternoon’s win (on Feb. 25) put WBHS in the Final Four, which was also at Columbus State University. Termed “Cinderella” earlier this week by the state's largest newspaper, something the Lady Bulldogg players and coaches found amusing, the WBHS team moves on after a strong performance Thursday. Trailing 22-19 at halftime, the Lady Bulldoggs (25-6) turned the pressure on both ends of the court in the second half. A 10-3 run to close out the third quarter gave Winder-Barrow a slim 34-33 advantage. Mays (22-8) would regain the lead in the fourth quarter at 35-34, but a basket by Latrice Perkins with 6:53 remaining gave the WBHS Lady Bulldoggs a lead they would not give up again. Mays would pull to within 42-41 follow ing a free throw with 4:12 left but baskets by Chellia Watson and Perkins and a free throw by Olivia Nelson-Ododa gave coach Brandon Thomas' team a 47-43 lead with 1:49 to play. Nelson-Ododa added another basket for a six-point lead but Mays stayed alive with a 3-point play with 55 seconds left. Two free throws by Watson with 16 seconds remaining sealed the victory, however, for WBHS. Mays held an eight-point lead in the third quarter before the Lady Bulldoggs began their rally on baskets by Nelson-Ododa and Lexi Maddox and a steal and conver sion by Perkins. With 2:15 left in the third, Perkins tied the game at 30-30 on a steal and layup. The lead went back to WBHS at 32-30 after a basket by Watson and increased to 34-30 on a putback by Maddox. Perkins led the Lady Bulldoggs with 18 points while Nelson-Ododa and Wat son both finished with 11. Maddox and Jakayla Sullivan added four points each. WBHS was just 8-of-19 from the foul line. 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