From www.scoreatl.com

Second-seeded South Atlanta (27-2) entered the night hungry to get back on track after dropping their first game of the season in the Region 4-AAA championship, but Washington County (23-6) had plans of its own to continue dancing and did so after going on the road to upset the Hornets 57-54. The Golden Hawks controlled the game from the opening tip and never trailed.

Coach Sug Parker said that the team focused on defense primarily in the days leading up to the game. Washington County managed to keep the Hornets off balance all night by switching up its defense moving from man to zone to full court pressure, disrupting the high-powered South Atlanta offense that had carried the team to 27 consecutive victories at one point this season.

Washington County held a 15-8 lead after one and was the aggressor on offense. The Golden Hawks managed to get into the bonus early and baited South Atlanta into foul trouble while they connected from the line. Nia Johnson led the way for WACO with 19 points. Entering halftime, the Hornets trailed 36-21.

To South Atlanta’s credit, it began to claw their way back into the game. Kierra Johnson-Graham finished the game with 19 points as the Hornets’ second leading scorer on the season turned it on. While South Atlanta continued to inch closer, Coach Parker continued to preach playing as a team and to carry out their defensive assignments. Entering the fourth quarter, the score had tightened to 47-36, but the Golden Hawks still felt like they were in control of the game.

Washington County continued to switch up its defenses and forced South Atlanta to try and beat them playing one on one. The Hornets had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. The Golden Hawks trapped the ball handler and a desperation heave was thrown to the rim but caromed off into a Washington County player’s hands as the buzzer sounded to end the game. Coach Parker praised his team for playing as a unit the entire game and for staying tenacious on defense. Daknequa White pitched in 17 points for Washington County while freshman Nijeria Jordan added 12 points, seven above her season average of five per game. For South Atlanta, Lawrencia Simon netted 10. Erica Gibbons, the Hornets’ leading scorer this season, who came in averaging 16.8 points per game, failed to crack double digits.