Class AAA Girls: Morgan County 68, Jackson (Atlanta) 61
Morgan County’s Tatyana Davis scored 32 points, lifting the Bulldogs to a 68-61 win over Jackson-Atlanta on Saturday in the Class AAA state championship game at the Macon Coliseum.
It’s the second state championship for Morgan County and first since 1983.
Senior forward Erica Gibbons had 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead Jackson (30-2), which made its deepest playoff run in school history. Jackson had never won a state playoff game before this season.
The Jaguars trailed by nine at halftime, but cut the deficit to two, 39-37, midway through the third quarter. Davis responded with a 3-pointer and a steal that led to a layup, helping Morgan County take a 49-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
Davis had seven steals, before exiting to a standing ovation from the giant Morgan County crowd. After the win, the junior guard donned a T-shirt with a picture of her late grandmother, Sadie Peters, who passed away from breast cancer in October.
“We weren’t expected to be here, but we made it by the grace of God,” Davis said. “I’m just proud to be here to represent my grandma. She never missed a game, and I know she's proud of me."
Davis and freshman guard Santaji Reid each hit big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and senior guard Alexis Brown converted a three-point play with 3:20 left, to put away the Jaguars. Brown finished with 11 points, and Reid finished with 10 points.
Senior forward Kayla Thomas added nine points and 11 rebounds for Jackson, which had won 27 consecutive games before Saturday's defeat.
"We haven't lost a game since Thanksgiving, so I know it's really hard to lose the main one," Jackson coach Michelle Powell. "But they'll be OK. I'll remind them what got us here."
