One bad quarter.
It’s the last thing Warner Robins could afford happen playing against the Class AAAAA champions Woodward Academy in the Final Four Saturday at Fort Valley State University.
One bad quarter, and yet that’s exactly what happened. The Demonettes went 0-13 from the field in the first five-plus minutes of the third quarter. The Lady War Eagles went 6-9 during the same span – 6-16 overall that period – including two 3-pointers by Kennedie Mosley. They never recovered, falling 67-35.
To add insult to injury, Warner Robins had fought back from being down by as many as 13 points. It trailed 16-8 after one. That was not the brightest of spots, either. The girls shot only 3-12 from the field – Woodward Academy wasn’t much better at 4-19. They were better at the free-throw line, however, going 6-for-6 that quarter and 7-of-8 in the half. They were a perfect 9-for-9 in the second half. The Demonettes were 2-of-4 in the first and 6-of-13 at the half. They managed just 3-of-7 in the second half.
Still, they managed to out-score Woodward Academy 13-10 in the second quarter to cut the lead to six, 26-21, and get themselves back in the game.
One bad quarter. That was the aforementioned third. The Lady War Eagles, all told it was a 15-0 run, pushed their lead to 20, 41-21, with 4:16 left in the third. Warner Robins threw in a modest 6-0 run to make it 41-27, but a trey by Sara Lewis in the final seconds made it 44-27.
Warner Robins missed its first five shots to start the fourth and Woodward Academy, with another Lewis 3-pointer and some free throws, made it 26 points, 54-27.
To the Demonettes’ credit, they never gave up. The just couldn’t gain any momentum against a team that out-sized them, out-benched them and arguably played faster than any team they had faced previously.
They were led by Tasia Agee, who had 9. Chelsea Thomas and Jada Morgan each had 7 and Nevaeh Mack 5.
Sydney Bowles, a Georgia signee, led the Lady War Eagles with 20. Lewis had 16 and Mosley 15.
Warner Robins, with all of its starters returning next year, finishes its year 25-6. Woodward Academy improved to 28-2 – one of those losses was avenged in the playoffs – and set up a rematch with Forest Park for the championship.
