Welcome to the girls championship preview! For a recap of the semifinals from Milledgeville this past weekend, go here.
From earlier this season:
Banks County Leopards vs. Mount Paran Christian Eagles
When, where: 1 p.m. Thursday, Macon Coliseum
Records, seeds, rankings: Banks County is 28-3, the No. 1 seed from Region 8 and ranked No. 3; Mount Paran is 31-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 6 and ranked No. 1.
Coaches: Banks County, Steven Shedd (seventh season); Mount Paran, Stephanie Dunn (sixth season)
Notes: The Mount Paran Eagles have been 2A’s top-ranked team since Week 4*, losing just once to Brookwood on Dec. 30, and they’re 19-0 in 2023.
Until the semifinals against Landmark Christian, the Eagles hadn’t been meaningfully challenged. When they entered halftime down 27-25, they locked in. Inside the first minute of the second half, they tied the game and took the lead and never trailed again, even stretching the lead to double-digits in the game’s final minutes, ultimately winning 58-51.
The Eagles have both top-heavy talent and depth. Jessica Fields, a 6-foot-1 guard, is one of the state’s top sophomores and has dozens of D-I offers. Though she’s the younger sister of NFL quarterback Justin Fields, her play stands on its own, and she has been a driving force for a team seeking its second straight title after winning 1A Private last season for the program’s first championship.
Junior Ciara Alexander is the second of Mount Paran’s 1-2 punch, with both her and Fields averaging around 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomores Jacalyn Myrthil, Isabella Ramirez and Kitali Youmans all provide vital contributions.
In the semis, Fields and Myrthil led the way with 15 points each, followed by Ramirez (10), Alexander (8) and Youmans (7). Though the Eagles’ defense had little success containing Gabby Grooms, who led Landmark Christian with a game-high 29 points, they shut down the rest of the War Eagles, limiting them to just one other double-digit scorer with 11 points, and no other had more than five points.
The Eagles were extremely efficient in transition against Landmark Christian, and that won them the game.
None of the Eagles’ core are seniors, so they’ll return next year with another great shot at a deep playoff run. Further, in Fields, they have championship experience. Most of the Eagles were either not on last year’s team, or weren’t a key contributor, but Fields was one of their top players as a freshman. Alexander transferred in ahead of the season.
Their coach, Stephanie Dunn, is looking for consecutive championships for the second time in her career. She won three titles in four seasons at St. Pius from 2004-07, with the back-to-back titles coming in 2006 and 2007.
All of these factors make the Eagles an extremely tough out for the Leopards, who have never won a state title. This will be just their second title-game appearance, the other coming in 1965 when they were runners-up in Class “B.”
The Leopards have been a dangerous team all season, which has been years in the making. Before this season, it was easy to overlook their potential with Elbert County and Rabun County usually having the stronger teams in a loaded Region 8. Still, they entered the playoffs last year as a No. 3 seed and won at Pace Academy before losing to Josey in the second round, coming apart late.
As fate would have it, the Leopards would get their redemption against Josey in the semifinals, this time holding off the Eagles for an 48-44 win. It was the second round in a row they beat a top 10 team after downing No. 2 Central-Macon 61-56 in the quarterfinals.
In both games, sophomore Ryleigh Murphy opened the Leopards’ scoring by hitting three straight 3-pointers. It would be a lot to ask that feat of her a third consecutive game but if the opposing defense leaves her open on the perimeter like Josey did Saturday, the chances are high she’ll make them pay.
Opening a game like that doesn’t just give the Leopards a lightning-quick 9-0 lead, it gets the crowd involved, the teams’ confidence up and swings momentum early. On Saturday, that spark was enough to help the Leopards to a 14-6 lead after the first quarter and from there, 21-12 at halftime.
In the second half, the Leopards led by as much as 32-19 with three minutes left in the third quarter. However, up to that point it was clear Josey, in the semifinals for a third straight season and 2A champions in 2021, had not been playing to their capabilities up to that point, missing easy open shots and layups, turning the ball over and playing ineffective defense.
The Eagles came to life in the fourth quarter, and it looked as though their potential would come to reality and win out. They had pulled to within 37-36 with 2:44 left, and the Leopards had yet to make a field goal in the quarter, treading pace to that point on 3-for-6 free-throw shooting.
It appeared as though the Leopards were exhausted and on the way to a late collapse against Josey for the second year in a row. However, senior Kamryn Grier used her 6-foot frame to fight for a basket down low to put them ahead 41-38 with 2:10 remaining. She’d score their only other field goal of the quarter with 1:15 left to put them ahead 43-38.
Leopards guard Addison Hoard also came through with a team-high 19 points and put the game away with six free throws in the fourth quarter, including two with 3.5 seconds left to bring the score to its final margin. The Leopards needed both, too, because Josey hit two long 3-pointers their previous two possessions to extend the game to its final seconds.
Leopards coach Steven Shedd calls them a team of destiny. They’ll have the chance to fulfill that prophecy Thursday.
It would not be a stretch to say Mount Paran have what would appear to be a noticeable edge over the Leopards, given the pedigree of their top players, and the championship experience that both the Eagles and their coach brings. However, the argument that their opponent had the edge could have been made against the Leopards in each of the last two rounds, but they endured.
The Eagles know how to win a championship because they did it last year, but the Leopards truly believe they can win the game as well and won’t be easily intimidated, or rattled late. That’s what makes this an intriguing matchup.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Mount Paran had been ranked No. 1 all season
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