Sequoyah senior center Kelly Hartman scored 13 points, and freshman forward Emily Seres came through in the fourth quarter, leading the Chiefs to a 43-38 win over Loganville on Friday in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal game at Columbus State University.
Sequoyah advanced to face Southwest DeKalb in the semifinal round at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at Columbus State. But it wasn’t easy.
Hartman sparked a 13-5 run in the second quarter that put the Chiefs up 25-17 at halftime. The senior forward hit a baseline jumper and followed it up with layup off a nice pass from sophomore point guard Alyssa Cagle to cap the run.
The Sequoyah lead would grow to 10 early in the third quarter, before Loganville coach John Zorn implored his team to pick up the defensive pressure. It worked.
Senior forward Schekinah Bimpa had a steal and a layup and junior point guard Daijah Cousins hit a pair of 3-pointers from the right wing, the second cutting the deficit to 30-27 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Junior guard Destiny Flott tied the game with a 3-pointer a minute later, setting up a decisive fourth quarter.
Bimpa had two early buckets in the fourth quarter to give Loganville its first lead since the first quarter, and when Hartman went to the bench with four fouls, the Red Devils appeared in business.
But Seres scored six points in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a three-point play that put the Chiefs head 41-37 with two minutes to play.
“We knew if we could just persevere then we’d survive,” Loganville coach Derrick Dewitt said.
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