Mount Paran ready for shot at second straight title

Mar. 7—When the Mount Paran Christian girls face Banks County for the Class AA state championship Thursday afternoon, the squad that takes the floor of the Macon Coliseum will not resemble the one that won the Class A Private title a year ago.

That team was dominated by seniors. This group is made up of four freshmen, seven sophomores and one junior.

But while the team is young, coach Stephanie Dunn said those seniors made sure this team is up for the challenge.

"The kind of program we run is built a lot on culture and family," Dunn said. "Those seniors (Kara Dunn, Katelyn Dunning, Shamaria Jennings, Sarah Grace Marr and Kaylynn Kirklen) really embraced them. They have been part of the program since middle school, so when we started this season, their confidence was just there."

Mount Paran (31-1) has not missed a beat. It rolled through Region 6AA play undefeated, bolstered by a non-region schedule highlighted with games against competition from higher classifications. The Eagles faced Class AAAA Hardaway, Class AAAAAA Woodward Academy and Forest Park, and Class AAAAAAA Collins Hill and Brookwood.

All of them went on to win at least 20 games, with Brookwood handing Mount Paran their only loss. The Broncos, who will be playing for the Class AAAAAAA state title Saturday, beat Mount Paran 56-54.

"And that was at the buzzer," Stephanie Dunn said.

Last year, Jessica Fields played a lot of minutes as a freshman, but she did not have her best game in the title matchup against Hebron Christian. If Fields' play in this year's postseason is an indication, she will be ready to rectify that Thursday.

Against Landmark Christian in the semifinals, despite foul trouble, Fields finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks.

Point guard Jacalyn Myrthil has become a consistent scorer after not playing a lot last season. She led the team in the final four with 18 points and has proven to be a leader on the floor, much like Dunning was a year ago.

Isabella Ramirez, Ciara Alexander, Kitali Youmans and Jada Harvey have also been influenced by the seniors and have delivered whenever their name has been called.

It will take a complete team effort for Mount Paran to upend Banks County and win the program's second straight state title. The Leopards (28-3) are making their first appearance in the state championship game and present a defensive challenge for the Eagles.

"They have a lot of experience," Dunn said. "They are mostly juniors and seniors who are used to winning.

"They are very skilled. They have good size and they have good shooters. For us, we'll have to play smart and be ready for a more structured offense than we've seen in some other opponents."

Dunn said extra attention will be given to Banks County guard Ryleigh Murphy and post player Kamryn Grier.

"(Murphy) is a very good shooter," Dunn said. "If she gets a good look, you can almost count it."

Grier is a 6-footer in the middle who can defend and make things difficult.

Mount Paran and Banks County have a couple of common opponents this season. The Eagles faced Josey early in the season and won 48-40, while the Leopards beat them 48-44 in the semifinals. Both teams also faced North Cobb Christian. Banks County won 53-35 in the second round of the playoffs, while Mount Paran beat its region rival twice during the regular season — 44-23 on the road and 65-20 at home.