Pestered by Mays’ trapping press and trailing for much of the game, Winder-Barrow had every chance to fold. The young Bulldoggs would have none of it.
Sophomore forward Latrice Perkins scored 17 points and freshman forward Chellia Watson hit a pair of clinching free throws with 16 seconds to play to send Winder-Barrow to Class AAAAA semifinal round with a 51-46 win over Mays on Thursday at Columbus State.
Perkins had 15 of her 17 points in the second half, helping the Bulldoggs rally from behind and advance to Saturday’s semifinal round against the Flowery Branch-Brunswick winner.
Making the program's first state tournament appearance since 1994, Winder-Barrow is in the semifinals for the first time since 1993.
Mays’ prolific junior guard Kamiyah Street, who scored 47 points in a second-round win over Grovetown, scored 28 points to lead the Raiders on Thursday. Street had 18 in the first half, as Mays jumped out to a 22-19 lead.
The Raiders scored the first five points of the second half and seemed to be in control, before the momentum switched. Perkins converted a three-point play with a breakaway layup and free throw and later tied the score, 30-30, on another layup with two minutes left in the third quarter.
The Bulldoggs led by four late in the third quarter, before Street hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 34-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sophomore post Olivia Nelson-Ododa set the tone in the fourth quarter with a big block that led to a Perkins’ layup. Watson added a pretty baseline runner minutes later, and the Bulldoggs led by six with a minute to play. Nelson-Ododa finished with 11 points.
Mays freshman forward Natoria Hill had six of her eight points in the fourth quarter, and sophomore center Demeesha Wallace converted a three-point play to trim the Winder-Barrow lead to three. The Raiders forced a turnover on Winder-Barrow’s next possession, but weren’t able to come up with a tying 3-pointer and were forced to foul Watson with 16 seconds to play.
The freshman calmly hit both free throws, and the celebration would begin for the Bulldoggs. A fan picked coach Brandon Thomas up, as a large contingency of Winder-Barrow faithful cheered loudly.
“To be honest, she’d be the one I’d want at the line in that situation,” Thomas said of Watson.
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