Marietta girls remain a threat despite transfers, close losses

Kaycee Cash scored 15 points to lead Etowah. McKenzie Irvin made a key 3-pointer, her only basket of the game, with 2:51 to play to give Etowah its first lead since the game’s opening minutes, and Stephanie Huffman put the game away by going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 33 seconds. Marietta has led or been within three points in the fourth quarter in 10 of its 11 losses.

Still, Sprague is happy with his team.

“We need to clean up some stuff, but we’re OK,” he said. “When we make some shots we can compete with anybody. We just need to close out games. We’re not that far from being a pretty good team.”

Marietta’s personnel losses were significant. Dearica Hamby, a 6-foot-3 forward who signed with Wake Forest, transferred to Norcross, and 6-2 forward Keyona Hayes left for St. Francis, where she averages about 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“I’ve never lost players to just moving,” Sprague said. “This is the first time, and I think a lot of it does have to do with AAU stuff. I would say quite a bit of it has to do with AAU stuff. They talk to their friends, and coaches are out there talking to their parents, and they think that something’s better somewhere else. And generally, it never is. Generally it’s never better somewhere else, it’s just different.”

Sophomore Kehera Wilson, a 6-foot center, led the Blue Devils on Friday with 10 points. Guards Ciera Echols and Courtney Sprague, the coach’s daughter, had seven each.

“We have had some girls take on some expanded roles and have done well with them,” the coach said. “Lauryn Webster [another Wake Forest signee] has done a tremendous job defensively in the post and has made great strides offensively. Molly Fagan has been a very good all-around player, playing great defense and handling the ball well. Jasmine McSwain is a tremendous athlete who can score all over the court. Courtney Sprague has really developed into a very good point guard.”

Marietta’s streak of eight consecutive 21-victory consecutive seasons likely will end this year, but the Blue Devils still have hopes of reaching at least the second round of the state tournament for the seventh consecutive year.

“We’ve done a good job, and all the time we’ve done it, it’s been with girls from Marietta,” Ken Sprague said. “That’s extremely satisfying when you develop a kid, you develop a team and then you see them do well. I just wouldn’t be satisfied to have a bunch of kids move in and then you win. What have you really done?”