For the 12th consecutive year, the Wesleyan girls will have the opportunity to play for a state championship, as the Lady Wolves defeated Region 6-AA rival Lovett, 60-39, in Friday’s Class AA semifinal matchup in Columbus.
They'll face another region nemesis, Holy Innocents', in the state championship game on March 6 in Macon.
Friday’s win was the fourth of the season over Lovett for the Lady Wolves, who swept the two regular season games and handed the Lady Lions their last loss in the semifinals Region 6-AA tournament.
Third-ranked Wesleyan (24-7, No. 2 Region 6-AA) led nearly from the tip, building a big advantage quickly with long, uninterrupted runs. After Lovett scored the game’s first bucket, the Lady Wolves answered with a 12-0 run and led 18-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Sixth-ranked Lovett (21-9, No. 3 Region 6-AA) encroached on the lead briefly, scoring the first four points of the second quarter at the free-throw line, but never got any closer, as Wesleyan’s intense defensive pressure yielded few open looks at the basket. The Wolves scored the next 13 consecutive points and were never threatened the rest of the way. Wesleyan led 35-13 at halftime, forcing twelve turnovers and allowing just three made field goals.
Junior point guard Cairo Booker’s 15 points led a balanced Wesleyan offense that attacked the basket relentlessly until easing off the accelerator midway through the fourth quarter. Jameson Kavel added 12 points on 4-of-9 3-point shooting, Nikki McDonald had 10 points, Natalie Armstrong had nine, and Lauren Frerking had eight.
Despite the lopsided final score, it was the smallest margin of victory for Wesleyan during the playoffs, where the Lady Wolves are winning by an average of 29 points per game.
Carrie Mutombo scored 11 points to lead the Lady Lions, who were playing in just the second final four in school history. Quinn Barry and Jenna Brown each added nine points for Lovett.
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