FORT VALLEY -- Campbell’s record against North Cobb in the regular season was 0-2. Its all-time record in the state semifinals was 0-7. Its star guard lay injured late in the first quarter, never to return 100 percent.
It was against those odds Saturday afternoon that Campbell’s girls basketball team finally broke through, defeating North Cobb 58-53 to reach its first state semifinal since opening in 1990 as a merger of the old Campbell and Wills high schools in Smyrna.
Erica Norwood scored 14 points and had seven assists and made a pair of 3-point shots in a 10-0 run to start the second quarter that gave Campbell the lead for good in this Class AAAAA quarterfinal.
‘’We came out with motivation,’’ said Norwood, who has signed with Air Force. “We couldn’t lay down for this team again, not with this much on the line.’’
The 10-0 run put Campbell up 23-14 and came without star guard Chakecia Miller, who injured an ankle in the final two minutes of the first quarter. The George Washington signee would return late in the half and score nine points, though she was hardly at full speed.
“She’s got so much heart and is so smart I couldn’t keep her off the court, even at 65 percent,’’ Campbell coach Randy McClure said.
North Cobb (25-6) was within 34-29 when Campbell (25-6) scored nine points in the final minute of the third quarter to lead 43-33. North Cobb didn’t get back within eight until the final seconds.
Campbell’s scoring came primarily from its guards, as Baylee Hawkins also scored 14 points, but Campbell also had a 30-21 edge in rebounds. Angel Foster had 11, and Jaleesea Phillips had seven.
North Cobb sophomore Kira Gordon scored 23 points, four in the final seconds. North Cobb was bidding for its first semifinal since 1967.
Ranked No. 3 at the end of the regular season, North Cobb was the regular-season champion of 4-AAAAA, the all-Cobb County region that sent four teams to the quarters.
Campbell, ranked No. 6, was the tournament champion, a trophy it had won before. It was the semis that this team needed.
“It’s a very important win for our program,’’ said McClure, in his 21st season as Campbell’s head coach. “It’s a special feeling, trying to break through that wall. ... We’ve had heartbreak time and time again.’’
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