Southwest DeKalb junior guard Daisa Alexander exploded for 30 points, and the Panthers used their trademark pressure defense to wear down Columbus in a 65-50 win Friday in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal at Columbus State University.
Southwest DeKalb advanced to the Saturday’s semifinal round to face the Loganville-Sequoyah winner.
The Panthers led 29-25 at halftime, before Alexander heated up. She scored 24 of her points in the second to help Southwest DeKalb put away the Blue Devils.
Columbus junior forward Tatyana Wyatt led the Blue Devils with 22 points.
Columbus jumped ahead early, but Southwest DeKalb’s relentless pressure defense began to take a toll on the Blue Devils. Even when Columbus broke the press, they rushed up shots and didn’t always capitalize. Point guard Brittany Floyd did her best to survive the Southwest DeKalb swarming defense, but looked completely out of breath several times.
“That made the difference,” Southwest DeKalb coach Kathleen Richey-Walton said of her team’s pressure defense. “We just had to keep after them. We felt like we could get them out of their rhythm if we kept pressuring them.”
Southwest DeKalb has won four state championships under Richey-Walton. The Panthers look like they have the playmaker in Alexander and the depth to add another one this season. But they’ll have to recharge quickly for Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
“I play 10-12 people all season long,” Richey-Walton said. “We’ll have some legs.”
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