Not even Jenna Staiti could slow down McEachern’s drive for a third consecutive championship.
West Forsyth’s 6-foot-5 center scored 51 points in her final high school game, but McEachern had too much quickness, too much defensive pressure and too much Jada Lewis and advanced with an 81-70 victory in the Class AAAAAA girls basketball semifinals Saturday at the University of West Georgia.
The third-ranked Indians (24-7) will attempt to win their fourth state title in five seasons when they meet No. 1 Tucker at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Macon Coliseum. No girls team has won four championships in five years in the highest classification since Morrow did it from 1989 to 1993.
Lewis finished with 36 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter when McEachern finally took control. She scored six points in McEachern’s 8-0 run to start the second half, turning a 41-36 deficit into a 44-41 lead. West Forsyth regained the lead just once more, at 51-50 on two free throws by Hayla Seitz, but Lewis scored the final seven points of the quarter to restore the lead to 57-52 heading into the final period.
Lewis was 8-for-9 on free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter and Que Morrison was 6-for-6 as the Indians put the game away. Morrison had 10 points in the game despite some early foul trouble.
Staiti, a Maryland signee, was virtually unstoppable from the start against McEachern’s guard-dominated offense, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and 16 in the second as West Forsyth (25-7) built its five-point lead.
But McEachern didn’t hesitate from challenging the Wolverines inside, getting scoring from its own forwards and lofting several floaters over the defense. Forward Tierra Lindsey was particularly effective inside and finished with 12 points.
Eventually the Indians’ fast pace took its toll, and they outscored West Forsyth 45-29 in the second half.
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