Kell girls dominate Jackson; roll into state title game
Mar. 4—CARROLLTON — Crystal Henderson scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half, and the Kell defense smothered Maynard Jackson, to post a 56-37 victory in the Class AAAAA state semifinals at the University of West Georgia on Friday.
The win sends the Longhorns (25-5) into the girls final where they will face Warner Robins at the Macon Coliseum on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Kell, which will be making its second trip to the state championship game in four years, led 19-12 after a sluggish first half on the offensive end. One minute into the third quarter, Henderson made a runner in the lane and she, along with the rest of the team, was off and running.
"We were settling for jump shots in the first half," Kell coach Kandra Bailey said. "In the second half, we told them to take the ball to the basket."
The plan worked as the Longhorns consistently scored on layups and short shots around the basket. In addition, they were able to get to the free throw line. Henderson's first basket began an 18-5 run. She scored 11 points in the quarter, and Kell built a 37-21 lead heading to the final 8 minutes.
Maynard Jackson (26-2) had come into the game averaging 68 points a game, but the Jaguars could not handle the Longhorns speed and pressure defense. They held leading scorer Taliah Cornish, who came in averaging nearly 21 points per game, to a team-leading 18, but they held the rest of the Jackson lineup well below their season averages.
"We've been working on our defense," Bailey said. "We came in ready to lock down their leading scorers."
Leading by 16 heading to the fourth quarter, Kell did not allow Maynard Jackson to get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way. With 5:10 to play, the Longhorns started a 7-0 run to push the lead to its biggest margin at 50-31. The quick run was highlighted by four points from Henderson, who also had six assists and four rebounds, and three points from Jamiah Gregory, who finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds. Jada Green also added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Kell opened the game on a 12-3 behind 3-pointers from Gregory and Green, and the Longhorns led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter. A 3-pointer from Sydney Moss opened a low-scoring second quarter. A pair of layups from Green pushed the lead to 19-9, and the Jaguars did not reach double figures until Cornish connected on a 3-pointer with 1:32 to play in the half.
