GREENE COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy girls basketball team won its third straight region championship last week with a dominant win over Towns County.
The Lady Titans controlled the ball the entire game and defeated the Lady Indians 60-21 for the Region 8 final. This earned them the overall No. 1 seed in the Class A Division II state playoffs, which they took full advantage of in their first playoff game this past Tuesday.
Head coach Savannah Soles’ team hosted Bowdon High School, a team that had won one game up to this point in the season.
With the first-round 76-32 victory, Lake Oconee Academy secured another home playoff game Friday at 6 p.m.
After winning last year’s state championship, Soles understands that there is more of a target on their back as they progress through the tournament.
“We keep saying take it one game at a time. A lot of people expect us to win it again, and we do a good job of keeping that outside the program and focusing on us,” Soles said. “Last year, we were able to fly under the radar and try and prove a point. This year, everyone wants to beat LOA, so we definitely have a big target on our back, and the girls know that.”
On top of the postseason win, the Lady Titans had a few seniors reach impressive milestones in their careers.
First, shooting guard Hannah Heinen scored her 1,000th career point last week in the region tournament against Greene County.
She leads the team in a 3-point percentage and has been a member of the Lady Titans’ program throughout all four years of her high school career.
Point guard Jada Williams joined her the following week scoring her 1,000th point in the game against Bowdon. She moved to the school her sophomore year and has been a centerpiece on this Lady Titans’ team ever since. On top of leading Lake Oconee Academy in scoring, Williams also leads the team in steals and is second on the team in rebounds.
Soles acknowledged how important Heinen and Williams are to the program and was proud of the accomplishments they have been able to achieve in their time as Lady Titans.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment for both girls. [Heinen] is one of the best 3-point shooters in the area, and it’s awesome for her, especially since she had to sit behind a 2,000-point scorer her first two years here,” Soles said. “[Williams] was able to get her 1,000th point in the first quarter of the first round playoff game which is special for her too, because she was able to do it in three years.”
Moving forward, the Lady Titans will get to host the second round of the state playoffs Friday against Schley County in hopes to continue their run for another state championship.