For the third straight season the Warner Robins girls are one of the top teams in Class 5A. The Demons, fresh from a 25-6 season that saw them reach the Final Four, are off to a 13-1 start and ranked No. 2 in the state.
Coach Rebecca White’s team went to West Palm Beach, Fla., for a post-Christmas tournament against top-level competition and went 2-1. They lost their first game after getting off the bus following a seven-hour bus ride and played, although White refused to make an excuse. Instead, the team used it as a learning experience and rebounded to win the next two games.
“It gave us a different view of a different level of basketball,” White said. “They play a little different in Florida and the experience of getting on a bus and going to play will help us down the road.”
This version of the Warner Robins teams looks a lot like those in the past. They shoot the ball well – preferring to get it to the hot hand rather than feature one player – and they apply plenty of pressure on defense.
Warner Robins is led by 5-foot-9 senior Jada Morgan, an all-state player who leads the club in scoring and rebounding.
“She’s played really well for us this season,” White said. “She’s been really big for us. Her energy alone helps us be successful. She’s going to give you all she’s got.”
Morgan had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Tuesday’s 68-64 win over Class 6A No. 9 rival Veterans.
Morgan’s maturity is evident off the court, too. This year she started a drive to raise money and collect clothing to benefit homeless families in Middle Georgia. She carries a 3.5 GPA and has committed to South Carolina State.
The remaining starters, all of them veterans, are equally solid.
Tasia Agee is the team’s second-leading scorer and an outstanding defender who gets a lot of deflections. Kynnadi Howard is a long-limbed senior with great jumping ability; her teammates call her “the Glass Cleaner.” Juniors Tori Davis and Nevaeh Mack do the small things and seem to come up with big baskets and key defensive plays.
“Now we want to focus on clicking more as a team,” White said. “Maybe it’s taking a higher percentage shots and keep building defensively, because defense wins championships.”
Now the Demons will be focused on winning the Region 2 championship. Warner Robins won the Region 1 championship the previous two seasons before getting shifted into a new region during the GHSA’s realignment. Competition in the new league is fierce and includes No. 3 Union Grove and No. 7 Jones County, teams the Demons defeated last month.
“But it’s always harder to beat a team the second time,” White said.
Record night for Kell’s Colon
Kell’s Jaylen Colon set a school record with 12 3-pointers in a 102-67 win over North Springs. Colon, a 6-foot-1 junior, was 12-for-18 on 3s and scored 36 points. He also had six assists.
Interesting games this weekend
Girls
On Friday: In Region 6, Cambridge (11-3) will host Greater Atlanta Christian (5-6), a battle between the two teams most likely to challenge No. 1 Kell for the league title. ... In Region 4, No. 8 Arabia Mountain (14-1) hosts Chamblee (5-4), one of two teams tied for second place.
Boys
On Friday: In Region 2, No. 3 Jones County (12-2) will host No. 5 Dutchtown (11-5) in their first of two meetings. Dutchtown is looking to remain unbeaten in the league going into next week’s showdown with rival No. 1 Eagle’s Landing. ... In a big Region 8 game, Flowery Branch (11-3) will play at league-leading Eastside (13-1), which is trying to remain unbeaten in the league going into Tuesday’s important game against Winder-Barrow.
On Saturday: No. 1 Kell and No. 2 Eagle’s Landing will play in the Grayson New Year’s Classic. Eagle’s Landing will play Class 6A No. 3 Hughes at 3:30 p.m., while Kell will be in the showcase game against host and Class 7A No. 3 Grayson at 8 p.m. They’re part of a seven-game schedule that begins at 11 a.m.
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