MACON -- Down by five points entering the fourth quarter, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy head coach Jackie Cowan pulled her seven-player roster into a huddle and delivered one simple message.
“I told them we had eight minutes to come out and take this game,” she said. “I said we’ve waited all season for this moment.”
Message delivered. Message received. The Warriors took the lead midway through the period, part of a 15-2 run that propelled SACA (26-5) to a 57-52 win over previously unbeaten Holy Innocents’ (29-1) in the Class A Private Schools final, Saturday morning in the Macon Centreplex.
It was the first state title for SACA since 2006. The Warriors were defeated by St. Francis in overtime in last season’s final and lost to the Knights by 17 points last month in the Region 6-A final. But SACA returned the favor in last Monday’s semifinal, beating St. Francis by 15 to earn a trip to Saturday’s championship game.
Cowan’s squad took home the title in spite of having arguably the shortest bench in the state at just two players. In fact, SACA’s five starters played, on average, more than 30 of the game’s 32 minutes, much of it pressing and trapping on defense, which helped the Warriors impose their will on the Bears and eventually take control.
“I believe you have to exploit your opponents’ weaknesses, and we knew they would have a tough time handling our pressure,” Cowan said. SACA forced Holy Innocents’ into 21 turnovers. “We’re in great shape. People don’t believe we are in that kind of shape, but we are, and the difference in this game was when we switch from our zone to man-to-man [on defense].
“I told [her players] this is why we run all those miles and suicides and sprints that you all complain about,” Cowans said. “It was all for this time and this moment.”
Early in the fourth quarter, SACA tied the game 39-39 on a 3-pointer by senior Marquita Daniels (South Alabama), who led all scorers with 19 points. After a turnover by Holy Innocents’, the Warriors next possession was indicative of the heart and determination they have shown all season.
After a miss by Keimeshia Walker, freshman point guard Tiamya Butler scrambled for the offensive rebound and flipped the ball to Daniels, who missed a short jumper. Daniels grabbed her own miss, but failed to convert the put-back. But fellow senior Amy Griffin (LaSalle) snatched another offensive rebound and was fouled on her layup attempt.
Griffin hit the first free throw but missed the second. But freshman center Dominique Banks grabbed SACA’s fourth offensive board of the possession, and her layup gave the Warriors a 42-39 lead they would not give back.
SACA pushed the lead to 48-40 with 4 minutes remaining in regulation, after a bucket by Butler. Holy Innocents’ pulled to within three points, 50-47, with just over a minute left on a basket by Shai Blanding, one member of the Bears’ quartet of talented freshmen. But four free throws by Griffin and Daniels, and a steal and bucket by Daniels sealed the deal for the Warriors.
“We just turned the ball over too much, and they hit some tough shots, too,” Holy Innocents’ head coach Tony Watkins said. “We’re just sad right now. I don’t know what to say.”
Still, Watkins said the Bears’ young roster bodes well for the future. Holy Innocents’, led in scoring Saturday by freshman guard Khayla Pointer with 13 points, will return all but one player – senior post player Lexii Cassell, who will play at Murray State next season.
“We’ve got some very talented young players who work hard in the offseason, so we do have a bright future,” Watkins said.
But it was the present that shined bright for Cowan and the small but vocal crowd of Warrior parents and fans that made the drive from Campbellton Road in Atlanta to Macon.
“We won it in 2006 but that was eight years ago,” Cowan said. “This was emotionally overwhelming because it’s been a long time.”
SACA (57) – Marquita Daniels 19, Amy Griffin15 (9 rebounds), Tiamya Butler 10, Keimeshia Walker 9, Dominique Banks 4
Holy Innocents' (52) – Khayla Pointer 13, Erika Cassell 12 (18 rebounds), Sydney Long 11, Shai Blanding 6, Lexii Cassell 4, Rachel Morton 4, Chelsea Zoller 2
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