GREENE COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy girls’ basketball team (28-3, 11-1) traveled to the Macon Coliseum for the second year in a row last Wednesday to compete against Clinch County (27-4, 9-1) in the GHSA Class A Division II state championship game.
Unfortunately for the Lady Titans, a late fourth-quarter run from the Lady Panthers was the difference between first and second place for head coach Savannah Soles’ squad.
Even though her team fell 45-42, Soles acknowledged how special the group has been, and how much they will mean to the program years from now.
“When you go to a state championship and return everybody, people expect you to get back there, but they don’t know how much hard work goes into that, so I’m very proud of the girls for what they did each and every day,” Soles said. “I feel like this year’s bracket was tougher than last year’s, so just to get back to the finals was huge for our girls and the program. Even though it didn’t end the way we hoped, in three to four years, the girls should look back and be proud of what they accomplished.”
The title game started off as a defensive battle and stayed like that for most of the contest.
Clinch County made the first basket of the game three minutes into the first quarter, and the Lady Titans didn’t answer until junior Georgia Bosart drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key a few minutes later.
The Lady Panthers’ 1-3-1 trap zone caused issues for a Lady Titans team that usually facilitated the ball well. After the first eight minutes, the teams were tied at eight a piece.
Soles’ team continued to struggle with the half-court pressure and allowed Clinch County to score six straight points off turnovers to start the second quarter. The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 14-8 lead, but senior Jada Williams kept the Lady Titans close.
Williams led the team with 16 points and also had a few assists during Lake Oconee Academy’s 10-3 run to end the first half.
The second half started with both teams tied at 20, and that’s when the Lady Titans found some success.
Soles’ team started pressing in the full court, and it caused some issues for the Lady Panthers squad. One of the main contributors in the third quarter was Titan senior Hannah Heinen.
Heinen, who is the team’s most consistent shooter, got aggressive on the defensive end. She would end the game with a team-high five steals and play bigger than listed as she pulled in seven rebounds.
Heinen scored half of her points in the third period as well and was a big reason why Lake Oconee Academy went into the fourth quarter up 36-30.
Unfortunately, the Lady Titans couldn’t ride the momentum until the final buzzer.
Clinch County scored five quick points to start the fourth quarter and had the crowd behind them. This helped the Lady Panthers’ defense to hold the Lady Titans to just six points in the final eight minutes, and zero points in the last three-and-a-half minutes.
Lake Oconee Academy had possession for the final shot but was unable to convert from behind the arc to end the year as Class 1A Division II runner-ups.
Regardless of which trophy the Lady Titans lifted at the end of the year, Soles understood how special this group truly was. She remembered how the girls responded after their regular season loss to Towns County and believes they went as far as they did because of their competitiveness.
“I think we really started to click once the region tournament started because the girls are driven and motivated the most when things get competitive. Basketball is a long season, so to keep these girls motivated from November to March is tough,” Soles said. “When it’s tournament basketball, it’s a different animal, and we played our best basketball late. We didn’t finish the state championship the way we wanted, but there were a lot of good things that we did throughout the postseason.”
Lake Oconee Academy now has to graduate a senior class consisting of four girls who helped the program win a total of 108 games, three region championships, a state championship and received a state runner-up.
Williams and Heinen both ended their high school careers as 1,000-point scorers and constantly contributed on the defensive end as well. Fellow soon-to-be graduates, Kensi Stevens and Ava Johnson, both helped the Lady Titans in the paint, having to play bigger than normal due to the team’s overall size.
All four girls were instrumental during the playoffs, and Soles acknowledged it will be tough to replace all of them.
“Hannah was our best spot-up, 3-point shooter and kept us in that state championship game, playing with a lot of heart and soul. I knew every day that she was going to give me her all,” Soles said. “Jada just loves the game. She was an extension of a coach on the floor, just being a leader and keeping her teammates in the right alignment on the court, and we’re hoping she can continue to play at the next level.”
“Kensi was with us all four years and was another great kid. She’s a true wing player that had to embrace playing the post. She never complained about it, and I think she enjoyed the role as the season went on,” Soles added. “Ava was an impactful role player and played big minutes for us in last year’s state championship game and the Elite 8 game this year. She embraced the moment when her number was called and just had a knack for finding the ball coming off the backboard.”
Lake Oconee Academy loses the four seniors but will have some firepower coming back for next season.
Bosart will return next year with fellow guard Jane Monachello, who had a couple of baskets and four rebounds in the state championship game, and six other underclassmen.
Ultimately, Soles is excited to see how the Lady Titans’ legacy grows from here on out and believes they’ll still be able to make some noise next year as well.
“I truly think these girls are ready to embrace the moment because they know it’s their turn to step up, just like the girls who have been playing had to do a couple of years ago,” Soles said. “I’m excited to see how they’ll continue the Titan legacy, and I know that they’ll embrace everything we have to do to be competitive.”