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LOA junior Briana Glave sunk five 3-pointer in the win over Greene County last Friday. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff -
Georgia Bosart (3) drives the lane against the Lady Tigers. She finished with 18 points and 23 rebounds. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff -
The Lady Titans celebrate after knocking off rival Greene County last week. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff
Lake Oconee Academy hosted Greene County last Friday, looking for revenge after a loss last month to the rival Lady Tigers.
The Lady Titans knocked off Greene County 62-32 at home. A huge reason why they came out on top was their big second-quarter effort when they outscored the Lady Tigers 22-2 before the half.
LOA head coach Savannah Soles was happy her team came out firing on cylinders in the first half.
“I think it might have been the most complete game that we have played all season,” Soles said.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Titans held a 12-7 lead after Greene County did not hit a field goal in the last five-plus minutes. That’s when they ramped things up and took a big lead.
LOA opened the second period hot as seniors Georgia Bosart and Jane Monachello found a rhythm. The Lady Titans’ defensive effort was also stout as it held the Lady Tigers to just two points.
Lake Oconee Academy went into the locker room at the half with a huge 34-9 advantage over its rival.
After the break, it was the Brianna Glave show. The junior guard nailed five 3-pointers in the second half, which helped her team keep the pedal down, leading 55-25 through the third period.
Soles acknowledged how well Glave’s performance didn’t allow the Lady Tigers to get back into the game.
“Once she got going, there was no way they were stopping her,” Soles added of Glave. “She was great. This was a breakout game for Brianna, as she finished with 22 points, (a career-high for her.)” Bosart was also productive, posting a double-double with 18 points and 23 rebounds. Bosart was instrumental in the second quarter when she scored most of her points.
LOA’s stout defense and rebounding effort played a big role in that big region victory over Greene County. The Lady Titans outrebounded the Lady Tigers 53-45, with 20 being offensive boards.
Being a smaller team and doing that well on the boards is something in which Coach Soles takes great pride in. Her squad got its opponent out of rhythm early and that proved to be the difference in the win.
“We forced 12 turnovers and kept them on their toes,” Soles said. “The defense played to our standard.”
Soles highlighted that junior Mary Claire McCommons played a pivotal role in keeping the defense on track. She added that five of the six Lady Titans who took the floor that night forced a turnover.
Lake Oconee Academy’s earlier season loss to Greene County sparked last Friday’s win, Soles added.
“There was definitely a (different) type of mojo this time around,” Soles said. “It was a great win for us.”
She also said her girls knew they hadn’t played their best game the last time out against the Lady Tigers and were excited to get another chance at them. After the team watched a lot of game films, the girls realized how poorly they played and turned things around to get a win last week.
Lake Oconee Academy’s senior night was on Tuesday, in which the program honored Bosart and Monachello. The pair has been a part of three region championships and have won a state title.
On Tuesday, the Lady Titans knocked off Washington-Wilkes 49-26, improving to 16-8 overall and 9-2 in region play.
“We are right where we want to be as we finish off the regular season,” Soles added. “The mindset in the locker room is to finish the drill. That’s the number one thing on our minds right now.”
After starting the season 7-7, LOA has won nine of its last 10 regular season games.
The Lady Titans will travel to Augusta on Friday night to play Aquinas in their 2023-24 regular-season finale. If they win on Friday, they’ll head into next week’s region tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.