Heritage-Catoosa girls claim first state title in OT after fourth-quarter rally
MACON - Heritage-Catoosa rallied from a six-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then got the game-winning points on a layup by Paisley Collins with 21 seconds left in the extra period to stun third-ranked Sandy Creek 65-63 in the GHSA Class 3A girls basketball championship game Wednesday at the Macon Coliseum.
Eighth-ranked Heritage (28-4), playing in the state finals for the first time in school history, became the first team from a Catoosa County school to win a girls basketball state title. Sandy Creek (25-7) was making its second championship-game appearance but seeking its first title.
Sandy Creek led 56-50 after a layup by Morghan Reckley with 1:29, but she was called for a technical foul after the shot. Heritage’s Ema Tanner made the two free throws to cut the lead to four points, and Georgia Gracy made a 3-pointer five seconds later to make it a 56-55 game. After another short jumper by Reckley, Gracy made a 3-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.
“Our girls have been in big games, obviously not something this big,” Heritage coach Greg Elkins said. “They don’t know any different. They’ve been in big games, and they’ve been in pressure situations. We’ve played some really good teams this year, which I think helped prepare us for this.”
Sandy Creek made a layup for a 62-60 lead with 2:35 to play in overtime, but another technical foul by Morghan Reckley after the shot turned the tide. Not only did Tanner make one of the two free throws to cut the lead to one, but it also fouled Reckley out of the game. Reckley, the Region 2-3A player, led all scorers with 29 points.
Sandy Creek still had the lead, at 63-61, after a free throw by Madison Reckley with 1:35 to play, but Collins made two layups in the final 1:09, including the game-winner with 21 seconds left. Sandy Creek’s shot with three seconds remaining fell short.
Tanner led Heritage’s balanced offense with 18 points. Collins finished with 17 points, Tori Epps had 12 and Gracy scored 10. Gracy, Tanner and Collins had nine rebounds each, as the Generals out-rebounded Sandy Creek 38-19.
Sandy Creek’s full-court pressure defense took its toll on the Generals, producing 23 turnovers that led to 26 Sandy Creek points. But it wasn’t enough to put Heritage away.
“We knew that they had that capability [to pressure us],” Elkins said. “They guard 94 feet, and they do a very good job with that. They’re very physical, and we had to withstand it. We worked on it for three or four days, trying to get them ready physically and trying to get them ready mentally. … We turned it over. We gave it to them a few times, but we were very patient, made some good passes, and we executed.”
Sandy Creek trailed 14-8 late in the first quarter but outscored Heritage 14-2 over the next five minutes for a 22-16 lead that grew to eight points by halftime. Heritage did not regain the lead until Collins’ final shot.
Deyla McCoy added 22 points for Sandy Creek, and Madison Reckley had eight.
Box score and stats
Heritage - 14-6-14-24-7 - 65
Sandy Creek - 11-17-14-16-5 - 63
Heritage (65): Georgia Gracy 10, Ema Tanner 18, Tori Epps 12, Bailee Hollis 8, Paisley Collins 17, Abby Wilson, Sunshine Davenport, Ansley Lawson.
Sandy Creek (63): Deyla McCoy 22, Madison Reckley 8, Morghan Reckley 29, Kandyce Hopkins, Yogi Boynton, Lauryn Ferguson 3, Da’Maris Shields, Raquel Walker 1.
About the Author
Chip Saye rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025, at the launch of AJC Varsity. In 2009 he helped start Georgia High School Football Daily. He previously worked for the AJC, Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.
