DAHLONEGA No matter what happened Friday night at a packed-out Lynn Cottrell Gym, history was being made.
Unfortunately for the Lumpkin County girls, they will not get a much-anticipated shot at a state title after a heartbreaking 46-45 loss to Cross Creek in the Class 3A semifinals.
Cross Creek’s Erin Martin scooped up a pass from a falling Jordyn Dorsey on a frantic inbounds play in the final 5 seconds and converted a layup at the buzzer for the game-winner.
That came after Lumpkin County had battled from 41-37 down to take a 45-44 lead on an Isabel Davenport free throw with 5 seconds remaining.
DAHLONEGA In two of the three basketball state tournament games, the Lumpkin County girls had to battle back.
And on Tuesday, they found themselves down on the road at Pierce County with three of their four starters playing with four fouls with four minutes to go.
What happened? The Lady Indians went on a 19-3 run to pull off the win, 64-55, and advance to the Class 3A semifinals the first in program history.
It s that type of resilience that Lumpkin County has shown throughout, not only the state tournament but the entire season. What makes our group special is a resilience and refusal to give in, Head Coach David Dowse said. Even against Pierce County, we were down seven with just over four minutes left and had three starters with four fouls and went on a 19-3 run. That s not coaching, that s just some kids that are determined not to let it slip away. Really, that resilience has been the difference for us.