Few teams will be busier before the state playoffs begin than the St. Pius girls.
A COVID incident forced the No. 6-ranked Golden Lions to shut things down until Tuesday night. When they return, coach Kyle Snipes’ team will be required to play eight games over the final two weeks. It’s a gauntlet that includes a rematch with Region 5 leader Southwest DeKalb.
Such a stretch is easier to handle for a team like St. Pius, which is loaded with experienced players who are more adept at dealing with the unusual circumstances. The presence of such veterans has made it a less stressful season. The Golden Lions are 13-1 overall and 7-1 in the region, losing only to Southwest DeKalb.
“We’ve been able to do more in practice in less time,” said Snipes, who said practice time has typically been trimmed from two hours to 90 minutes each day. “We’re not having to spending as much time teaching. And their attention to detail is as good as it’s been in two or three years.”
Perhaps the girl who typifies the team is senior Lindsey Broadway, who is considered the team’s best defender.
“We put her on the person we feel we really need to stop,” Snipes said. “She’s not flashy. She just does whatever we ask her to do. She really takes pride in her defense.”
Senior Georgie Dooley is a stretch-four player who averages 11 points and has shown the aptitude to step outside the line and make a 3-pointer or post up a defender and score a close range. She’s shooting 48 percent on 3-pointers.
Other key players are sophomore Kelly Stephenson, who averages 10 points, and junior Kate McBride, who averages 15 points and eight rebounds. McBride is a tough, hard-nosed player who doesn’t back away from a challenge.
Snipes said this team has been more cohesive than the one fielded the last couple of seasons and have showed off their defensive skills throughout the campaign.
“They take pride in how they defend,” Snipes said. “We match up better with teams because we’ve defended so well.”
St. Pius has a full plate for the next two weeks. This week the Golden Lions play Lithonia on Tuesday, Clarkston on Wednesday, Decatur on Friday and SWD on Saturday. Next week it’s King on Tuesday, Decatur on Wednesday, Chamblee on Friday and Stone Mountain on Saturday.
The game to watch is Saturday’s contest against Southwest DeKalb. The Panthers won the first meeting 65-58. Should the St. Pius win the rematch, the two teams would likely end up tied for first place. That tiebreaker would be determined by a coin flip.
Region 2 Tournament
The region will hold first-round and semifinal games at school sites. The consolation and championship finals will be held on Saturday at Dutchtown.
The girls begin competition on Tuesday. Regular season champion Union Grove earned the No. 1 seed and has an automatic spot in the state tournament. The other first-round games on Tuesday will determine the three other representatives for state: Woodland at Dutchtown, Ola at Eagle’s Landing and Locust Grove at Jones County.
The Eagle’s Landing boys won the regular season and earned the automatic spot in the state playoffs. On Monday, Union Grove beat Jones County 61-59, Locust Grove defeated Woodland 60-59, and Dutchtown eliminated Ola 90-52. The semifinals are Thursday: Union Grove at Eagle’s Landing and Locust Grove at Dutchtown.
Region 4 Tournament
The region tournament will begin on Tuesday at school sites, then hold its semifinals and finals at Whitewater.
The first-round girls schedule on Tuesday has Northgate at McIntosh, Starr’s Mill at Harris County and Northside Columbus at Whitewater. The boys schedule features Northside at Starr’s Mill, Northgate at Whitewater and Griffin at McIntosh.
The semifinals will be Thursday with girls playing at 4 and 7 and boys at 5:30 and 8:30. The consolation games and finals will be Friday.
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