High school basketball playoffs: Lady Indians burst into Elite 8 for first time since 1978

Daniel Mayes, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·3 min read

Feb. 24—Northwest Whitfield High School punched its ticket into the state's Elite 8 Friday with a 56-54 win over Westminster.

Three other local high school teams were in action in the state playoffs Friday:

Murray County 61, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 56

The Lady Indians keep hitting milestones that haven't happened in a long, long time.

Last Friday, Murray County captured a region title for the first time since 1967. Friday, the Lady Indians used the home court advantage they earned with that region championship to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1978.

Murray County (22-4) got past KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (22-8) 61-56 in overtime in Chatsworth to punch its ticket to the Class 2A state quarterfinals.

"It's just a special, special moment," Murray County coach Chris Tipton said after the game. "And we're not done."

Murray will play either Dodge County or Josey in the Elite 8 on Tuesday. Dodge County and Josey play their second round game tonight.

Murray County will host either team. The Georgia High School Association's universal coin toss, held earlier Friday, determined that the top team on the bracket would be the home team in all cases where equal seeds met. Josey is the second seed from Region 4-2A, and Dodge County is the top seed from Region 1-2A.

On Friday night, Murray and KIPP entered overtime tied at 51. The Lady Indians outscored KIPP 10-5 in the extra frame, with Kiersten Hixson capping the scoring with two free throws with 13 seconds left.

The Lady Indians trailed big early and were down 20-12 after the first quarter, but battled back to a 32-30 deficit at halftime.

"Ella Dotson put the whole team in a backpack and carried them for the first half," Tipton said. "There was not an ounce of quit in this team."

Maynard Jackson 66, Dalton 41

Dalton (21-9) hoped to continue its playoff run by handing Maynard Jackson (26-1) a second loss on the season.

The Lady Catamounts fell short of the sixth-ranked team in the state as Maynard Jackson downed the Catamounts 66-41 to make a return trip to the Class 5A Elite 8.

Dalton ends the season 21-9. A 51-30 win over Loganville in the first round was Dalton's first playoff victory since 2011.

Dalton trailed 13-7 after the first quarter and 32-19 at halftime.

Gracie Ridley finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the final game of a stellar junior season for Dalton. Kemara Washington scored nine.

Wesleyan 83, Coahulla Creek 33

Coahulla Creek's third trip to the Sweet 16 hit a wall in the form of the second-ranked team in the state.

Wesleyan (26-3) ended Coahulla Creek's (16-12) season with an 83-33 win over the Lady Colts in the Class 3A second round in Norcross Friday night.

Coahulla Creek came in off of a dominant first round victory looking for its first ever appearance in the Elite 8, but Wesleyan had other ideas.

Coahulla Creek found itself down 27-6 to start the second quarter and 47-13 at halftime.

Wesleyan was the champion of a Region 7-3A that sends three members to the Elite 8. Lumpkin County and Dawson County also reached the state quarterfinals with wins Friday.

The Lady Colts, which finished second in Region 6-3A, matched Sweet 16 appearances from 2018 and 2021 at the school.