Kim Lawrence has now won a state championship at Woodward Academy as a player and as a coach. It’s a rare feat, but one Lawrence certainly appreciates.
“To see where the girls started, the bulk of them got here their freshman year, and to see where we are right now is amazing,” Lawrence said. “It’s been a journey. It’s been a road. But they’ve bought into everything and it paid off.”
Lawrence recalled a moment a year ago when the girls realized what they were missing. The team had been eliminated and was watching the Woodward Academy boys in the semifinal game. They delivered a message to their coach.
“You could see it in their eyes when it ended,” she said. “We were watching the boys play in the semifinals and they all came up and said behind me and said, ‘Coach, we should be here. We’re going to be here next year. They claimed it.”
They did it with one a most impressive defensive effort. Jim Waller, who coached Lawrence’s team to the 1999 championship and won two other titles at the school, attended the semifinal game against Griffin and watched the War Eagles win 75-52. It was almost like going back in time for Waller, who used the same defense that Lawrence dialed up all season.
“He got to see the girls play his defense,” Lawrence said. “He said it was the best he’d ever seen. I’d have to agree with him. The girls played awesome. They played his defense great. To have Jim see them play his defense was awesome.”
Woodward Academy went 22-1, losing only to Holy Innocents’. The War Eagles finished with a 21-game winning streak.
Eagle’s Landing has a load of talent returning for another run
When Eagle’s Landing beat Tri-Cities for the state championship last week, veteran coach Elliott Montgomery’s eyes were more than misty. It was more than just the emotions that come from winning a title. It was the realization that his players taught him a lesson that he’ll carry forward.
“These kids taught me a lesson … to enjoy life and not to be so uptight,” Montgomery said. “I am so thankful for these kids. With coaches, winning a state championship is an ego thing a lot of time … but I can’t take any credit.”
Montgomery then smiled and said, “The sad thing is, they told me they’d be back next year.” He was being sarcastic about being sad. He does have a huge part of the team coming back and will likely be the team to beat when the season starts again in November.
The Eagle’s will lose two starters – Jayden Jackson and Jaylon Hand – but return A.J. Barnes (the Region 4 player of the year), Jordan Fordyce and David Thomas. The three returners, who combined for 55 of the team’s 81 points in the championship game, may be the best nucleus for any returning team in 2021-22.
Barnes is one of the top all-around players in the state. He’s a natural guard, but was asked to spread his talent around to various positions this season.
“He is our guy. They said his position was a guard and we’ve got him playing the 4, the 5, the 3,” Montgomery said. “He does it all. He’s an amazing kid. The controversy part at the beginning of the year was he said, ‘Coach, I don’t want to play that position.’ We were depending on two football kids and we thought they were going to be able to carry us, but when he saw they couldn’t, we went back and forth, but he was amazing.”
The team overcame a lot of obstacles. They had only five healthy players when they went up against Class 7A power Meadowcreek and won 70-44.
“Those other kids were FaceTiming me and telling what we needed to change,” Montgomery said.
Eagle’s Landing went 27-1 and lost its only game to Class 7A Tift County. The Eagles closed the season on a 16-game winning streak.
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