In terms of competitiveness and heart-stopping finishes, it’ll be tough for the Kell and Westminster girls to top in the state championship game the shows they put on in their respective semifinals.
Defending state champion Kell overcame a three-goal, second-half deficit against top-ranked Cambridge, and goalie Hanna Rosen protected the lead down the stretch as the Lady Longhorns advanced with a 15-13 win on Wednesday.
Westminster’s finish was even more thrilling. The Lady Wildcats got two goals in the final two minutes to force overtime, then got the game-winner from Elizabeth Zakas with .3 seconds remaining in the extra frame in an 11-10 win over Blessed Trinity.
That sets up a rematch of last year’s title game, which Kell won, 11-10. The Lady Longhorns (18-3) have been one of hottest teams in the state of the last half of the season and won this year’s regular-season matchup with Westminster, 16-8, just before the playoffs began. They’ll enter the title game with a 13-game winning streak.
Last year’s loss in the title game broke a streak of four consecutive state championships for Westminster (19-2), and this will be the Lady Wildcats’ sixth straight year in the title game.
Class AAAAAA boys: After all the attention was given to Area 3 this season, it turns out Area 2 will get all of the spotlight in Saturday's state championship game as top seed Roswell defends its state title against No. 2 seed Pope. It's the second straight year the region will account for all four teams in the boys and girls Class AAAAAA finals.
Roswell (19-2), which won last year’s title, 6-5, over Lambert, has been ranked in the state’s top five for much of the season, lurking just behind Area 3’s trio of contenders. But if the Hornets have been flying under the radar for a defending state champ, they won’t be Saturday. Roswell, which defeated Pope in its season opener, 16-8, hasn’t lost in more than a month. Since a 9-8 loss to Westminster on April 2, the Hornets have reeled off nine straight wins, including a decisive 15-4 victory over Etowah in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Pope (17-3) has been fighting its way through one of the bracket’s toughest draws. The Greyhounds, who reached the Class A-AAAAA semifinals last year, took out top-ranked Lambert with a 7-6 overtime win in the first round and have since dispatched No. 5 North Gwinnett and No. 7 Harrison in their last two games.
State championship games
Saturday
Class AAAAAA boys
Pope at Roswell
Class AAAAAA girls
Walton at Milton
Class A-AAAAA boys
Lovett at Westminster
Class A-AAAAA girls
Westminster at Kell
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