The last three seasons, Brunswick had been knocked out of the state tournament in the Sweet 16. This year, coach Maria Mangram’s Pirates are still dancing.
Senior guard Symone Palmer scored 18 points, leading Brunswick past Flowery Branch 52-47 Thursday in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal at Columbus State University.
Brunswick improved to 30-2 and advanced to Saturday's semifinal round to face Winder-Barrow at 3 p.m.
“It’s huge,” said an exhausted Mangram, who was up and down the sidelines, imploring her Pirates the entire way of an intense back-and-forth affair between two of the state’s top teams.
Senior guard Jomaiya Garner added 12 points for the Pirates, who improved to 30-2.
Flowery Branch sophomore forward Taniyah Worth had 13 points, and Maddie Hetzel finished with 11 points from the Falcons.
Flowery Branch guard Caroline Wysocki hit a contested runner at the end of the first half to send the game into intermission tied 24-24.
Hetzel scored the first points of the second half, and junior post Julianne Sutton hit consecutive inside hoops to extend the Flowery Branch lead to 36-29. The Falcons would take a seven-point advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Pirates began chipping away early in the fourth quarter, with their constant pressure starting to take a toll on the Falcons. Palmer hit a pair of free throws, and Garner scored off an offense rebound to give Brunswick a 39-38 edge with five minutes to play.
Palmer hit a couple more free throws and a key block in the final minute to help the Pirates seal the win.
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