Wesleyan girls cruise to fifth state title

Macon — It’s true that games aren’t played on paper. But sometimes, the paper is correct.

On paper, the Class A girls final Saturday between Wesleyan and Savannah Country Day seemed a mismatch. Wesleyan was led by 6-foot-3 Gatorade Player of the Year Anne Marie Armstrong, while Savannah Country Day had no player taller than 5-9.

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Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com

Wesleyan senior Anne Marie Armstrong (3) goes up for a shot over Savannah Country Day’s Blake Stafford (30).

• Photos: Girls' state finals



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And from start to finish, it was a mismatch, indeed.

Fueled by a tenacious man-to-man defense and a dominating inside game on offense, Wesleyan (29-4) led 25-5 after the first quarter and 40-8 at halftime, en route to a 71-31 victory at the Macon Centreplex.

It was the fifth state championship in the last six years for the Wolves.

“I thought that if we could really get after it on defense and shut down their 3-point shooting, there was a chance [the game] could get out of hand,” said Wesleyan coach Jan Azar. “But they’re such a well-coached team and they shoot very well, so you never know. But I can’t say I expected this.”

It was the last game for Armstrong, a three-sport star who’ll play for Georgia next year. She and fellow senior Chantel Kennedy left the game together for good with just over three minutes left. The best friends shared an extended, tearful hug on the sideline.

“I wasn’t saying anything, just crying,” said Armstrong, who led Wesleyan with 16 points. “It’s just really special.”

“We do everything together, and we both realized it was our last time [on the court], and we’re going to be so far away from each other,” said Kennedy, who has signed with Colorado State.

But the pair might not be done competing together just yet. If Armstrong doesn’t need to have her meniscus surgically repaired (she’ll find out this week), she’ll be out on the track with Kennedy this spring, trying to bring Wesleyan a state championship after last year’s second-place finish.

Armstrong is a two-time state high jump champion, while Kennedy won the Class AA 400 meters last season.