He's going coast to coast, clear the runway.

He's coming in.

It's a helicopter slam tap to the pull up from three.

Watch this guy go wheel drive, backs it in and gets it.

Welcome inside the Macon Colosseum for the Georgia High School Association class Double-A Girls state championship game.

As these two longtime rivals meet again, the Wesleyan Wolves going for their 12th state title in 15 years, taking on the Holy Innocents, Golden Bears, who they've beaten twice in the final, including last season.

And good afternoon.

I'm mad.

Stewart joined by two time Miss Georgia basketball Naismith National Player of the Year, Georgia Lady Bulldog and WNBA veteran Keesha Brown and Keesha.

This is an outstanding rivalry between these two teams and over the last 12 months they've played seven times.

Holy Innocents has beaten Wesleyan twice.

But when it comes to the big game, the wolves always seem to come up big and for either team it never gets any easier because the more familiar you are with each team, the tougher it's going to be to beat them.

So now it becomes what chess piece is going to match.

And for coach Tony Watkins, this may be the year that he thinks that he's going to get that championship that's eluded him for the last four trips to the Georgia State championships.

And we'll see from here so much college talent on the floor in this final, just like you were back in the day at Woodward Academy.

Let's start with Wesley and Mikayla Holmes, who's the number four rated guard in the country by ESPN.

And she's been recruited by UConn and Stanford and everybody else.

I mean, let's just start with that.

The number four guard in the nation right now, she's averaging 13 points per game and nine rebounds.

She's going to do it all.

She'll be all over the floor.

Meantime, for Holy Innocents, they are led by their senior center, Erika Cassell, who's the number four, actually, she's a four star from ESPN and she's already signed with North Carolina State.

Well, I mean, this is just going to be interesting because they both are so versatile and the positions that they retain.

She's averaging 13 points and ten rebounds a game.

So you've got people that are very kids that are very versatile and they're going to give a lot for their team today.

She'll be a great matchup as these two teams meet for the eighth time in this calendar year and we'll see if Holly Innocent can finally get over that hump and beat Wesleyan in the state championship game.

Now, the third member of our team is Jackie Britton, and she's standing by on the sidelines.

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, when you look at this rivalry, it's easy to sit there and try and pick apart the different games and the records and the scores between these two teams.

But I think head Coach Jan is our of Wesleyan said it best when she said that the winner of this game is simply going to come down to one thing whoever executes the best and then Tommy Watkins Tony Watkins alluded to that a little bit as well in his call, saying in the last few games that they have played them, they have done really well.

But in those games, though, it really could have gone either way.

This is a championship rematch between these two teams.

So that could be the case here today.

We'll see how things shake out, guys.

All right.

Thank you, Jacqui.

Wesleyan at 27.

And for more on the season, here's a look at their starting lineup.

Combs, who we mentioned in Cairo.

Booker is actually their senior leader, averaging 14 points per game a maya Register, Jamison Cable and Natalie Armstrong, who is the sister of former Wesleyan star Anne Marie Armstrong, who went on to play for the University of Georgia head coach of the Wesleyan Wolves, is the legendary Jan Azar.

And I mentioned legendary because she's already been inducted into the Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame.

She is in her 19th season.

If she gets the championship today, that would be a record 12th for her in her 19 seasons with the Wolves.

As we take a look at the Texas Keys to the game for the Wesleyan Wolves and for them.

And it starts with the coaches.

It's so much history between these two teams.

It's going to be the chess match.

Who's going to make the better moves towards it along the course of the game.

And for Wesleyan, it's run, run, run, be effective and your transition offense get out and get easy baskets.

Holy Innocents 26 and five on the season two and one against Wesleyan during the regular season including a victory over the Wolves in the region championship game three weeks ago.

Starting lineup Candace Suttle who averages nearly a double double the aforementioned Erika Cosell.

Taylor Hubbard is one of the top sophomores in the nation.

She's already been offered by the University of Georgia and she's just a 10th grader.

And then Kayla Pointer and Shai Blanding round out the starting lineup for head coach Tony Watkins team.

And Tony Watkins has already announced that this will be his eighth and final season with Holy Innocents.

And he would like nothing better than to ride off out into the sunlight sunset like a John Elway winning the big final game in the final game of his career.

And here's a look at the keys to the game for Holy Innocents and for Holy innocents, they need to be able to combat the transition of Wesley with their transition defense, get back early, stop them, make them go into the secondary, into a half for offense, and secondly, four for Holy Innocents.

They did very well and their wins against Wesley and by just moving the ball and not letting the ball stop in one person's hands, they move the ball, they're very effective.

And it's allowing the defense to shift now along to get create the help side.

Well, here's the Georgia EMC road to the championship for Wesleyan.

And Wesleyan obliterated their opponents in the state playoffs, winning by an average of 44.8 points per game.

The one score that's not on there was their semifinal victory over Gassy, in which they won 78 to 48.

And for Holy Innocents, they won their state playoff games by an average of 37 points per game, obliterating the competition along the way, advancing with an 8049 semifinal victory over Putnam County.

So Wesleyan in the black will start on offense.

It's not your final booker already.

You can just see the quickness to carry Booker coming off that their hand off screen straight to the basket.

These two teams last met on February 2nd, a 50 actually a 5955 Region championship victory on February 12th.

The Holy Innocents State tied at two here in the early going nine.

The shorthanded team they don't need time to get one does too little to fill out the nuances of the game we've been having so much history against each other, you know.

Yeah I'm sure there's a love hate relationship between them during the season.

When you look back national team with 17 points in their 3514 state finals history a year ago offensive foul and a three pointer called on Hubbard back on the other end is the first foul on who has called his misses the three pointers he you know Matt and I spoke about this early on so many D1 prospects and so many more to go the game but the last thing you want to see with some really high quality basketball, almost as close to it, maybe you can get at a high school ball nearly stolen by Booker punches it into the backboard landing has to go back to get it.

Kayla Pointer A three point attempt off the back iron on the rebound is controlled by David Gillespie.

He's Maya register the three point attempt barely grazes the end of the offensive rebound getting the putback by Natalie Armstrong his second bucket of the ballgame.

You know and it's going to be tough just watching Wesley in there in a five out offense.

A lot of guys left open, gone to the basket for two offensive rebounds, another turnover for the ball in the corner as Musselman runs out to an eight to lead in the opening 10 minutes.

You know Wesley and just playing with so much energy and speed right now and I mean for sure it's just a confidence as they are.

They're going to get the ball back.

Who's got the ball out?

She's attacking the rim.

There is no stopping what she's doing.

Great finishing move by going between the defenders and an eight two lead for Wesley in here as Wesley and running the school running the floor and scoring in transition just as they wanted to they don't they they want to be able to get out and run and beat the Holy Innocents defense down the floor.

And why wouldn't you?

And you've got three, too fast, these guards, right?

All one team in the state of Georgia, they're going to get out.

HUNT And the beautiful thing about those guards, they also rebound the ball very well inside.

They go to Gasol and will have a foul called in Wesleyan first time they've been able to successfully get the ball to Cassel and she'll be at the foul line.

Foul is called on cable that'll be the first on her Erica Gasol six to senior center averaging 13.2 points per game 10.6 rebounds per game.

ESPN four star number 16 senior forward in the nation and signed with North Carolina state and she connects on both they just here spotlight's on this game already they didn't have all the lights on when the game started we didn't have a good string of games coming out here today.

This is the first win of it all.

Mikayla Holmes, again, you know, Mikayla Coombs, you have to find a way to stay in front of her.

You might want to give a little ground bite on the jump shot a little bit more than her putting the ball on the floor.

She put the ball on the floor.

She's such a good finisher.

Blanding shoots up over Armstrong, doesn't get the basket and comes, brings it up the floor again, gets it ahead to Booker Booker a pass back into the paint and going to be turned over not wholly innocent has an opportunity to run They got a three on two and Kayla Pointer with the layup and it does so good when you see it when you see your center when Erika Kissel she's running the floor rim to rim that's going to give you a really really good option of finishing at the basket.

Booker They have not been able to solve for penetration yet.

Wesleyan with 12 points in the first three and a half minutes of this game off to a frenetic pace.

We'll see if they can keep it up.

Wesley is in and a matchup zone and Kayla Pointer knocks down the three pointer Booker again with the penetration goes right through the defense this time misses the layup but it's awfully innocent you know and when I played at Georgia coach would always coach Leonard and put a scout report up and he would measure the quickness of of a person about how many cues that were by her name right now if we were scouting Caro Booker, she would probably have about seven teams by her name.

She is Lightning.

Quick comes the miss and the rebound ahead.

It comes and Kayla Hubbard can't chase it down.

Another turnover for Holy innocents that's their third already in the opening 4 minutes of this game Wesleyan with a 12 nine lead on Holy innocents.

Kayla Poynter knocking down the three for the Golden Bears to keep them close.

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Georgia Dawg 346 to play here in the first quarter Wesleyan out to a 12 nine lead on Holy Innocents.

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So Wesleyan comes out smokin.

They have hit six of their first nine shots and they lead Holy Innocents by three.

Wesleyan has been so fast and getting out in transition right now they have six more field goal attempts.

This program, this does it just tell you the track and the speed.

And we're seeing one play.

They shoot it inside to Coons.

And Coons had a shot blocked off the iron the miss by Milhaud and a jump ball called and the possession arrow favors holy innocents Those baseline out of bounds and normally plays that you want to be able to get a basket is is the best advantageous point for you to get a easy basket out of castle passes out of a double team drive by pointer offensive rebound for holy innocents and the ball gets knocked away from shuttle He chased down on the corner by Wesley and that'll be another turnover a fourth for Holy innocents register going coast to coast offensive rebound by Armstrong had her shot blocked pointer on the drive goes right by Booker and a blocking foul on Kairo Booker There is no intimidation factor whatsoever on this court today these ladies are going north to south not east to west.

You get the ball in transition.

I'm going straight at you.

Kairo Booker Guard.

I mean, if you want to.

Well, Tony Watkins told us, you know, any time you're playing Wesleyan in the state championship game, you're the underdog.

Even though his team has beaten them five of the last seven meetings, he said, look, we're not afraid of the name on the jersey.

We know that we can beat Wesleyan.

There's no magic potion.

It just comes down to being better at your execution.

Right.

And, you know, and all that goes down.

So it starts with the individual confidence that you have in your role for the team that's going to boil over to having a team confidence to go out and do the things that you need.

All game is executing jump ball Hero favors.

Leslie it's a little keep possession so.

Leslie And after hitting six of their first nine shots have now missed their last six in a row and bounce pass gets deflected away turns into a steal Lillard on the breakaway step through dribble and missed the layup put back by subtle and one Just staying with it being persistent running the floor They're getting a little taste of their own medicine holiness it's from Wesson to Wesley getting down the floor Easy basket You just got to look right here.

She's going strong to the hole.

But look, you got two more Holy Innocents player coming down for offensive rebounding.

You end up with an end run and Subtle completes the three point play.

And Holy Innocents is scoring back to take a one point lead register inside the arc off the iron going to go out of bounds and be holy innocents ball.

Golden Bears have won nine straight games since their last loss of 5953 loss.

The six a finalist Tucker on January 30th and the Golden Bears 26 and five overall in the season 12 and one in Region six.

Their only loss was to this Wesleyan team in the region as the Golden Bears won their fourth straight region title.

Just to tell you how competitive these teams are, even at a double a level they play or Wesley has played Morgan County, they play Tucker, and both those teams are in the state championship pass from Sidney Long is knocked out of bounds.

You'll see the big brace on the right knee of number 13.

Sidney Long.

She was a two year starter who took her ACL last spring and has made it back in time for the state playoffs.

And they'd like to measure her numbers.

They play her just a couple of minutes a quarter, which you want to be careful because she is their three point shooter.

She's got a career average of 35% from the three.

And here she is right on cue.

And the rebound by Booker Register to the corner.

Gable misses the three rebound register passes out of the double team and the foul is going to be called on Holy Innocents.

That one's going to go against Blanding.

So Shai Blanding picks up her first personal foul and that'll be teen foul.

Number two on the Golden Bears, Tony Watkins, his eighth and final season as the Golden Bears head coach.

They have been so close, but Holy Innocents enters today's game looking for their first state title since 1999.

You know, good thing we're speaking with Coach Tony is that he says they're peaking at the right time.

Last year, this time of year, they weren't playing their good basketball and it resulted in a loss in a state championship.

But now he feels like and his staff feel like they're at a place right now where they have peaked at the right time to be in this moment.

Am I a registered dribbling the ball?

She leads them in assists at 3.6 a game and also scores.

Dwight had eight a game.

The drive by register in the shot blocked out of bounds by Kennedy subtle but a whistle and a foul on the play and subtle will be called for the foul.

Let's see if she gets it with the body here yet jumped into her is it one of the few times that we've seen thus far where Wesleyan has had to set up a half for offense?

It didn't really go the way they planned.

So my right she does does what she does best.

She puts the ball on the floor, uses a speed and quickness to get to the basket.

And Maya register, the sophomore point guard, just five four already looking at Princeton and Rice for her future.

It's good to have options, always good to have options that she's got a high GPA, IQ for both teams as well as just a great basketball IQ that you get from individuals that just bleed over into the team.

Wesleyan with a one point lead.

As we approach the final minute of this first quarter.

Hubbard Air Airball Saved by Holy Innocents Pointer The Miss got her own rebound and got fouled on the play.

Bailey Edwards will be called for the foul and that'll be the fourth team foul on Wesley and then the first on Edwards They called the foul not on Bailey Edwards but on Cousins so Kayla Pointer at the line and hits the free throws and holy innocents back on top by one cous gets it drive scoops it up and in Wow And that's just trouble when she puts the ball on the floor something really, really good is going to happen.

You just don't know what it is.

You have to be able to contain her, give her a little space.

Hubbard has to go back to halfcourt to get the ball long three pointer and nailed it.

Kayla Pointer again, She's starting to turn the heat.

All right.

Now you can tell she's filling in really good Coomes again three pointer and on that last foul they did change it back to a foul on Bailey Edwards and not on keys see that's what you want to do with Mikayla Boom You want to be able to give her a tease her with that outside shot, lay off of it a little bit subtle.

Did a great job of just holding the hand of possession a shot, her first shot with a three pointer and our next three or four baskets were at the rim.

You have to continue to make her take those outside jumpers.

Final 7 seconds of the quarter.

Speed register chases it down and beat the horn but doesn't get the basket to fall in.

A very exciting first quarter as these two state powers combined for 34 points in the first 8 minutes.

It's going to be a wild afternoon between these two teams meeting for the eighth time in the last calendar year.

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Wesleyan star Mikayla Coons has started the game with six points and three rebounds.

She's three for four on twos and over three over three.

She really helps out all the innocent when she settles for the jump shot.

She's so much more effective when she drives the lane.

Right.

And you wonder if that's her settling for that three point shot because she might be a little fatigued or if that's holy innocence, baiting her into that three point shot.

She's much more effective and much more dangerous when she puts that ball on the floor and she's attacking the rim.

Well, Wesleyan got off to a great start here, hitting six of their first nine shots, but wholly innocent storm back to take the lead by the end of the quarter.

And Gasol takes a long three and I'm pretty sure they don't want Castle taking that job very often they want to get her down on the low block and get her the ball down on the low block, something they haven't been able to do yet by Armstrong working against Gasol.

Get to the Coombs Coombs missed close up and then a battle for the rebound they call a jump ball and it will be Wesson's ball.

Wesleyan does so much within their offense just dives cuts playing a five hour offense right now they have zero assists on seven field goals does a lot of it is off the dribble drive by what Mikayla Coombs is doing you yeah a lot of that's been Coombs a lot of that has been Booker as well Booker who has four points and two of five shooting she's missed some layups and Wesleyan ended that first quarter shooting only 37% from the floor.

They missed some really golden opportunities, first minute of the second quarter, Wesleyan down a bucket.

The Holy Innocents Booker on the dribble drive and a kick to register and she throws it away.

But Coombs is able to go back and save it.

They dump it inside for Armstrong waits for the defense to go by and puts it in third basket for Armstrong.

Great patience by Armstrong.

Just seeing the defense, she's getting a lot of pass and she she has it on a hands lesser defender go by easy to blanding off the mark on her three and cable throws it into the corner and throws it away so it's going to be holy Innocents ball So unforced error by Wesleyan.

So JJ, I was wondering, was there a tip involved there?

If I see any Holy Innocents defenders around there?

Well, the other eight players on the floor are already in the other half court and Wesley and just threw the ball away.

Wesley showing a131 zone.

You got to attack the corners when you're in that zone.

Step through move by Caleb Pointer Lycurgus or you just put the ball on the floor.

You attack the middle pointer.

Now with 13 of Holy innocents 20 points.

Booker misses the layup and the rebound by subtle Blanding runs it up the floor gets it the pointer again 15.4 Kayla Pointer who's on fire she's filling it but the great part about it is that you have her teammates that are going to continue to feed her.

They're feeding her the ball score, score, score, pointer, rebound, subtle.

You got to keep running right now if your whole innocence, you've got Wesley on the heel.

You got to keep running They give it the pointer pointer goes right at Armstrong and got fouled by cable and Kayla Pointer is going to go to the foul line.

She has been the story in this game with 15 of the Golden Bears.

First 22 points right now you've got Wesley on the heels.

They're a little tired or they're a little discombobulated offense right now.

And take advantage of that when they have their head down from a bad execution trip on offense, quarterback down on defense and get a easy bucket.

Kayla Pointer averages ten points a game four and a half rebounds and a team leading 3.3 assists per game.

She's five of eight from the floor so far in this ballgame.

The rest of her team is two for nine.

Missed both free throws, however, and the ball lost out of bounds off of Holy Innocents.

You can see why Tony Watkins compared Kaitlyn Pointers game to Allen Iverson drive by Booker shot blocked into the arms of Armstrong She missed up close and subtle comes away with it again subtle does a really good job of take care in that ball when it comes off the rim blending three stand I think that shot might have tasted like just great arc on the shot nothing but net Jan Azar calls time out as Holy Innocents has jumped out to a seven point lead in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter.

And the Golden Bears on a 12 four run after falling behind early in this game.

Yes, no view there.

Other team uses a half with Wesley Paul this time out.

Just stop the bleeding just a little bit.

The team back together.

Do you want to just continue to run the place, pick the pace up?

Let's check in with Jackie Britton.

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, coaches are seems to be happy with Wesley and taking it to the basket.

They've been doing that really well.

But she said she wants their defense moving.

She's emphasizing you guys have to box out and get out in the shooters wants to see more movement on defense but happy with them taking it to the basket.

Well, her team right now down seven points to Hallie Innocent.

A year ago, Wesleyan beat Holy Innocents 4531 in the final.

So the Golden Bears scored 31 points in 32 minutes a year ago.

They have 25 points in the first 11 minutes of this game registered high off the glass.

And one is great penetration by the two guards registering Booker finding their way, probing their way.

Collins is did a great job of shutting down the middle of it in the end register gets down to the basket subtle is going to be called for the foul that'll be number two on her went for the block and got her with the body three point play for a maya registered Kayla pointer goes through the defense scoop shot draws the foul goes to the line for two Taylor pointer She's just finding bodies to make contact where they see what she wants them to be able to garmon guard me one on one.

Right now I've got majority of my team's points.

They want me to have the ball in my hands.

Let me do something successful with it.

Coombs picks up her second foul Subtle will check out Cosell back in.

Coombs will come out for Wesleyan and Cable will come back in.

Kayla Pointer missed ten games this season with a torn meniscus, but has come back and is having a spectacular final contest right here now 17 points 17 of their 27 from Kayla Pointer here just 14 minutes into 12 minutes into the game long three way off the mark.

You know, we're talking about California so much we still haven't seen much from Eric Gasol.

Just remember, we still got that big body on the block right now.

It's almost our time to get going.

KSL has just two points, two of two at the foul line.

She's taken only one shot and that was out by the elbow.

Hubbard has the dribble stolen away by register register races up the floor, Booker drives goes by, the defense misses the layup Hubbard ahead it comes to the floor and she can't save it.

You know the maturation of that I'll say something to that to that play she could have easily given away and come back with a transition for Wesley.

But she did a great job of just holding off and playing five on five back.

And that is halfway through the second quarter.

Holy Innocents with a 2721 lead on Wesley what is by moonlight an empty field is by the magic of electricity sacred ground as the official energy provider of the GHC.

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Capturing the hustle, elevating champions, sharing the win, Georgia's EMC, empowering our youth, lighting the way for 15 left in the second quarter.

Holy Innocents with a 2721 lead on Leslie and Matt Stewart, joined by Keesha Brown and Keesha Brown, as we mentioned, two time Miss Georgia basketball.

But Keesha, do you remember this moment at the Naismith Awards?

Wait a minute.

Here you go.

It's just a year.

That trophy right now, that that trophy is.

I don't really know if I need to say that, but let's keep it and just, you know, just support and justice for God.

Give me the abilities to just get up every day and just play basketball and just the family and just taste it.

You guys look at look at my girl.

You guys really dug in for that video.

You've done well for yourself.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Keisha Brown, Naismith Award Winner, Georgia Lady Bulldog went on to play in the WNBA and a decade of professional basketball overseas.

And the WNBA.

I'm so glad I can dress better now.

Off the floor it comes.

Blanding kicks it off her foot.

It'll be Holy Innocents Ball here on the side.

So you play for the state championship twice with Woodward Academy.

And we kind of covered the subject yesterday, but kind of take us back to what these young ladies are going through here in the state championship game, especially those who are seniors.

And this is their last game.

Well, you know, I can take you on a holiest and inside who they've been yearning for a championship since they've been in holy innocence.

And this is why they came to that school for the opportunity, the education, and to get a championship under coach Tony Watkins.

So you want that more than you can ever imagine.

You never know what that's going to feel like now for Wesleyan.

You've been there before.

You understand what it takes to get there, and now it's just acting like it is going to be your first championship and you have to go along with that process and bring everybody else along with you.

Well, Booker will go to the line after she was fouled by Hubbard.

So two shots for Booker right here.

Wesleyan going for their 12th state championship in the last 15 years under head coach Jan Azar and she said every year it's it's exciting because every year is different while I'm going for my 12th, a lot of these girls are going for their first or their second.

So it's always different every year.

And you want these kids to have that experience, whether you know, they may have had a better experience their sophomore year than they had their junior year, which makes it unique because you get a different brand of people that are always coming in.

And when it happens, they want to have that same feeling.

Spectacular reverse layup by Blanding and Holy Innocents Up by seven register open for a three and Gasol gets the rebound and a foul is going to be called I believe on Armstrong on the back end here and Armstrong picks up her first personal foul and that'll be the seventh foul on Wesleyan strength on and so Cassell should be shooting the one on one see see one of them all the time.

I mean they were just going at it.

It was just a tug of war.

Who wants it more?

Well, Erika Cassel averages a double double team leading ten points, six rebounds per game.

Tony Watkins says he believes pound for pound excuse me, pound for pound that sells the best rebounder in the country.

And you got to believe it when you go to a rebound like that and she just clearly wants it more is in a position to be able to handle that ball.

She's going to get it ten times out of ten times.

But one of the big stories, even though Holy Innocents has a seven point lead, they really haven't been able to get the ball to the that much pass intercepted by register.

She pulls up at the foul line and Hubbard gets it ahead to Gasol who leaked out spin move Gazelle had her shot blocked How about that Sutton West the sophomore blocks Erika Cosell's layup attempt That's what you get when you get a big sorry take, but you have to be able to take that ball strong to the basket.

You don't wait for the defender to see if you can bottom take it strong to the basket, finish Cosell with the basket.

That's her first field goal of the game.

13 to 4, run for Holy Innocents and they're now up nine.

Booker step through move and gets the layup Booker Now with nine landings pass intercepted There's a one on one play right here If you want to smile and register has it stolen from behind by Blanding you want to try this is how you going to hit it She had her eyes on Pointer in front of her and didn't know Blanding was sneaking up behind her.

You want a championship?

This is how you go get it.

This is that second, that third effort.

Booker Contact tried to pass through the paint got it intercepted by Cassel long outlet pass covered runs it down to pointer pointer spin move and lays it in Kayla Pointer with 19 first half points excuse me Allen Iverson I'm going to go ahead and take this and put it in the spin cycle comes back the other way, hits the shot of the elbow.

She's hot right now.

Find a way to keep playing the ball.

She is hot.

19 of holding innocence, 33 points.

And Hubbard loses the dribble to Coombs Coombs ahead to Booker who beat everybody down the floor.

Got the layup and Wesley it's the five.

Yes, absolutely.

Just simple two on one basketball make the defense commit pass it off for easy to final 30 seconds of the half pointer able to save it 12 seconds in the half Kayla pointer for three off the back iron Coombs with 4 seconds comes at the horn off the mark and that's the end of the first half Holy innocents playing Wesleyan in the state championship game for the third time ever, Golden Bears trying to snap the streak by Wesley in and lead it by five at the break as we go to Jacqui Britten.

All right, thanks, guys, for the championship rematch.

You guys are ahead.

What's it going to take to hold onto the lead here in the second half?

Well, we've got to take care of the basketball.

We made a couple of costly turnovers there at the end.

I think we need to keep running on them.

That's where we are, where we're pretty good and we've got to do a better job with transition defense.

Okay, they've got some run outs and scoring on us when we can't stay in front of the dribbler.

I have to hold you much longer.

Go ahead and have a good time in the locker room.

We'll see in the second half.

Guys, Mark, back to you.

Thank you, Jacqui.

We are at halftime of game one of day two of the GHC Boys and Girls state basketball championships here at the Macon Coliseum.

Coming up, we'll check out the stats and the highlights from the first half.

Plus, we'll find out what fans are talking about in the Social media world.

That's all coming up next on the GBP halftime show.

Holy Innocents leads Wesleyan 33 to 28.

We are live for the Macon Coliseum.

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This isn't just any team.

This is your home team, okay?

It's not about a team or B team.

It's not about your boss telling you to be a team player or to take one for team.

No home team is about pride.

It's about standing strong, pulling together and going crazy about a bad call, you know, was right, But because it was against your home team, it must be wrong.

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Welcome to the first of four halftime shows on this day.

Two of the GHC Boys and Girls State basketball championships.

It's going to be another exciting day of baskets, box and buzzers.

This two A Game is a rematch of last year's state final matchup.

Wesleyan won that game, but this year these two teams have already played three times and Holy Innocents has won two of those three.

We'll have first half high highlights and stats coming your way, but now we're going to check out our Georgia EMC scoreboard.

So at the half of game on today, the two girls stage answer game, Holy Innocents leads Wesleyan 33 to 28.

Coming up next, it is the Boys championship game, Pace Academy going for that football basketball daily Double will take on Manchester.

They're a school that why it's won the state championship in 2007 and five.

It's really the Cinderella team of the entire tournament.

Winder Barrow comes in and seeded fourth.

They've won four straight playoff games and will play Southwest to cap for the Class five AA state championship game.

And then in the Boys five game, Altoona goes for that football basketball double header They are 31 to no going for a perfect season and Miller Grove they're 29 and two and they will go for their seventh straight or seventh state championship.

Now let's check in with Jackie in a look at what fans are buzzing about in the world of social media Jacki.

Thanks, Mark.

That's right.

We want you guys to make sure that you're interacting with us on social media.

It seems to not want to work, but we want you to remember that you can find us on all of our social media platforms at GPB Sports, on Facebook and on and Snapchat as well.

And you can also stream the games live at GPB dot org slash sports.

We do have some tweets coming in here.

One from Cairo, sister for Wesley in saying that they're cheering on the Wesley and wolves and look how cute this little fan is here.

I don't know if you can see, but this Kyra sister, how cute is that?

And then we have another one here at Galloway Athletic, sending some love to Keesha Brown and that Stewart they're calling the game.

So stuff like this.

Send us your photos.

Tell us who you're rooting for it.

Tell us who you think is going to win the big game.

We want to hear from you guys.

Let's start some little trash talking between the two teams.

We're going to be here all day long.

And then also, don't forget for tomorrow.

So make sure find us on all social media platforms.

All right.

That's enough on social media.

Now it is time for our career play of the game, brought to you by the technical college system of Georgia.

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You're on the sidelines of a pretty big game Kayla Pointer with 19 points all in the first half.

So far he's been red hot.

I know a lot of really great talent out there, especially, you know Wesley and it's fun to watch them play.

But Jana is always fired up.

Not exactly impressed really, with the defense.

I don't think she was telling those girls, you've got to box out, so we'll see what the second half entails.

But Holy Innocents feeling pretty good right now.

And I think coaches are going to have a few choice words in the locker room right now.

Come out pretty fired up, I think.

Yeah, it's going to be a good second half.

I mean, you know, you look at Tony Watkins and he's super humbled.

And, you know, at the end of the day, he's like, they're all just basketball coaches, high school basketball coaches, but they have a lot of heart in this game.

There's a lot of investment in this game.

And so they're super excited to be here but definitely want to take this home.

You know, I love this because this is one of the great rivalries in class.

I know.

And you can see it out there on their faces, too, man.

There's a lot of emotion on the benches over there.

It gets pretty heated.

It's girls basketball, but it gets pretty heated.

All right.

We're getting ready for the second half of this girl's state championship game between the Lady Wolves of Wesleyan and the Golden Bears of Holy Innocents and that Stewart and Keesha Brown will have the first half scores and highlights coming up next.

We'll see in the second half and here, beauty is a lot more than skin deep.

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All right, guys, welcome back to the second half of the Holy Innocents and Wesleyan game.

And Jana is our joins me now.

What would you like to see happen here in the second half?

I want to see us shoot some more free throws.

So we need to take it to the basket stronger, draw some contact, get to the free throw line like Holy Innocents is.

And we've got to play better defense.

What was the vibe like in the locker room at halftime?

You guys certainly very familiar with each other, but does that almost sometimes make it more difficult to prepare against?

I know this is a state championship.

It doesn't matter who you're playing.

The vibe in the locker room is we've got two more quarters.

We feel like we did not play well in the first half.

We're only down by five, so second half of a new ballgame.

Thanks, coach.

All right, Matt and Keisha, we'll send it over to you.

But Wesleyan shot only 35% from the floor in that first half, and they were oh for nine on their three pointers.

And Mikayla Coombs led the way for the Wesleyan Wolves in that first half.

She had eight points and four rebounds.

She's going to have to do just a little bit better when she give it a little bit more effort and get to the back, get to the basket, stop selling for those three point shots.

Well, let's take a look at the highlights from Coombs in that first half.

And as we mentioned, they'd like to get to the foul line a little more as well.

But when you when you attack the basket as you're doing right here, you're going to get foul.

If you don't get foul, she's going to focus and finish in the basket.

You just have to have a steady diet of doing that and not settling for the three point shot.

But the big story in the first half was the performance by Kayla Pointer for Holy Innocents.

She scored 21 of their 33 were in, you say 21 of 33 points, seven for 11 from field goal range She's she's two before from three which is five but California has taken it upon herself to get the ball on the floor and run it.

She's learning to transition as well, playing without the basketball.

She's taking the open break standpoint.

It was seven for 11 shooting from the floor to a corner, threes and five of eight at the free throw line.

In fact, Kayla Pointer made more free throws and took more free throws than Leslie and combined in the first half.

Right.

And think low point.

It just took advantage of what was given to her.

She saw that she was in rhythm good rhythm off the dribble just attack and Wesley and guards the Georgia Farm Bureau insurance halftime stats and a 3328 lead for all the innocence and I think the points off turnovers perhaps stands out most for me as only innocent score ten points off of the five Leslie and turnovers and they did that and they had one really good run in the second quarter to expand on the lead of what they had earlier in the first quarter, running off of the turnovers and attacking Wesleyan when they were missing shots on their offensive end.

So we have two quarters to go, is holding.

Emerson's tries to win a state championship game in coach Tony Watkins final game as their head coach trying to win their first state title since 1999.

You know, and of course, a level monkey falls, also personal level.

But you know, Tony, what he's going to lose over got a little bit more history there.

And just to see Woodward along, take his team to so many championships and be eluded from it, he said his team has peaked at the right time to be able to get it done.

Well, twice.

Wesleyan has defeated Holy Innocents in the state final and the Golden Bears trying to avoid the hat trick here today.

And they lead by five as we start the third quarter pointer.

Has it stolen away by Booker Trouble picking up the dribble gets it to cable cable launches the three in the miss and the rebound by subtle Kennedy subtle with six boards in the ballgame That's the most of anybody and pointer goes all the way and lays it in 23 now for Kayla pointer and subtle just does the little things she doesn't mind doing a little things hustling back for possession rebounding the ball She's almost averaging a double double but you'll never know because she's over highlighted by Kayla Pointer and Eric Coombs misses the three now over four her threes she's four, four, six on her twos We said this early in the ballgame.

Wesleyan is so much more effective when Coombs drives the paint.

Yeah and I mean you know, you have to understand she is an aggressive basketball player, but every so often you get lackadaisical.

You want to settle for the three point shot.

So your offensive package, even though she just missed that run into the paint, you have to take that rhythm to understand it.

Be initial shots.

Absolutely.

She missed the shot, but that was the right thing to do.

And that's the way Wesleyan wins this ballgame, is have Coombs and Booker able to get back to penetrating absolutely into Coach Azar's point, get to the free throw line Blanding three off the iron and cable gets the rebound for Wesleyan Register lobs up for Armstrong Cable in the corner for three and she thinks it that's the first three pointer for Wesleyan after missing their first ten attempts is this good rhythm for cable she had she had no intentions of kicking that ball She knew she's going to shoot that one.

Subtle.

The Miss Castle, the rebound and the put in Erica with her first basket from the floor after getting her fifth rebound and register goes all the way through the defense and Cosell grabs another board.

You sell with six more is a win.

I wouldn't doubt it for one moment.

It is Now it's time for Cosell to get her hands on the ball and show where she is.

NC State signee.

They have not run much offense to her when she gets the balls because she gets a rebound.

Well, and that's what you want.

You want to continue to move without the ball.

Just kind of be silent until you need to attack the basket.

She does it on the offensive game with the rebounds and there they do get the ball to Cosell.

They finally run a play for and it turns into a basket.

You know, what you see is so much attention being drawn to Kayla Pointer and what she's been able to do in the first half.

It's given Cosell just a little bit more room and freedom to move Booker on the drive and she gets knocked down by subtle, subtle picks up her third personal foul on the first team foul for Holy Innocents here in the second half Lord will check in and Subtle comes out register dumps it off for Armstrong stays with it Miss the put in lost the ball and pointer up the floor goes by the defense what a play by Kayla Pointer I think I'm just going to sit here and watch this game It's just amazing to see some of these counter moves that these players are making right now.

This is an excellent move.

Nice hesitation, dribble, just getting it out.

You go to rim to rim when you're a guard of her stature, why don't you offer me and I'll go ahead and finish with an easy teardrop to the basket that stop and then change of direction by Kayla Pointer, who has 25 of Holy innocents, 41 points.

What an incredible individual performance by Kayla Pointer, the five nine junior Guard.

And they didn't even know if she was going to be available for this ball game in their state semifinal victory over Putnam County.

She and Shai Blanding collided in the second quarter and missed the rest of the ballgame, and both of them had to go through the concussion test this week and be cleared by the doctors in order to play today.

And it is a tough process to be able to handle.

You get a concussion, you have to go through the impact testing and you know, you're not able to get back on the court until you are released from that baseline, as is clear, is after you get the concussion.

Well, ultimately, the doctors determined that neither one of them had suffered a concussion, but they had to go through the protocol.

You know, maybe it's just one of those things that California just seems to forget the season and say this is a one game season right now.

I'm leaving it all out on the court.

Wesleyan has now missed eight of their last nine shots, including that one right there by Coombs and now Hubbard on the other end, barely hit the iron and unable to save it was Milord.

And so Wesleyan will have the ball, but Wesley and now down ten points.

You look at Kayla Pointer, 25 points.

He's of 13 from the floor and the rest of the team 13 points, Six of eight from the floor.

I believe Jenna Azar just got a technical foul, but now it looks like a technical foul has been called on.

Azar as she pleads her case with mix Jeff McNichol And so Cosell will take the free throws.

Not exactly sure it's a foul was called on Coach Azar or the bench, but either way these are free throws for holding innocence and the ball.

Well, I think the technical foul was on Jann Azar.

I just happened to stand over there.

And I mean, I'm sure she's she's a tough competitor.

She's going to compete and she's fighting for a team right now.

She's doing it through the referees, you know, now with with the legalities of a technical foul in high school, you're subject to the seat.

So she has to sit down for the rest of the game.

Oh, my Lord.

With the dribble stop and par air balled, it, Hubbard got the ball and the whistle and a foul for a three second violation.

Out of bounds.

Out of bounds.

And a timeout on the floor with 355 to play in the third quarter.

Holy Innocents has opened up an 11 point lead in the girls state championship game 355 to play here in the third quarter.

Holy Innocents with a 42 to 31 lead on Wesleyan.

The wolves are one of nine shooting in this third quarter holding innocent score of eight.

As we check in with Jackie Bradley.

You guys.

Yeah, trying to get a little information on that type of foul on Janice.

Ah, some of the people from the bench were telling me that she was talking to her own player and telling her own players to box out, box out, box out.

But apparently she'd had a few warnings that the referee didn't like that so much.

So I made her sit down a while and because of the technical foul, coach Azar will have to sit for the rest of the game.

She can only stand up and cheer her team.

Right.

And then she has to sit back down.

That's the rules in high school basketball.

And it's tough for a competitive coach like Coach Azar Hope, who's up all the time.

Obviously, she's fighting for a team right now, trying to create some type of spark to get her team going down.

I'm sure they've never seen themselves an 11 point deficit in games.

It's been a while, Armstrong, and puts it in Natalie Armstrong, now four for six from the floor.

You look to see Wesley.

I'm probably going to try to make a run right here.

This is their time to do it.

Landing with the crossover dribble throws it right into the hands of register.

Register goes all the way down the floor and lays it in so consecutive possessions and points for Wesley.

And then they cut that 11 point deficit to seven Taylor Hubbard on the dribble.

She's one of the top sophomores in the nation.

She's already been offered by Georgia.

And you know her?

It was high hearts.

Her father is a coach, is a basketball coach.

So she's probably got that coaching ability going on for her on the court as well, milord.

The Miss got her own miss and the ball is lost out of bounds off the hands of Wesley.

And so Holy Innocents has it on the baseline subtle checks.

Back in with three fouls, Milord goes to the bench and nearly stolen by register.

Who Jump ball with Blanding and knocked it out of bounds and might have been just a little bit smarter for Blaine to take that catch on the other side of the court.

Could you get back court status and and out of bounds?

I'm sure she was thinking more about not crossing over by a backcourt line.

In the heat of the moment, you sometimes can forget the rules landing.

She's going to go to the foul line for two foul called on cable That's number three on her.

And that's going to be the fourth team foul on Wesley and Shai Blanding averaging nine points, 3.3 rebounds per game, has doubled her production from a year ago when she averaged five points per game to nine points per game this year and is an extra offensive threat.

And she has your whole innocence.

You're already being looked at, Erica, to say, Oh, she's definitely a scout on for 12 point is in a scout report you got Kennedy so who is that blue collar working for you?

And now you got Shai Blanding you've got to look at because she's doubled our production from a year ago, shooting the ball well from outside high arc on her free throw.

And Cous comes down with the ball and races up the floor.

Coombs goes to the defense, dumps it off her arms for a nice assist by Makayla Coombs and the basket by Armstrong makes it an eight point game.

Six point game pardon me, 4337.

You see a little bit more pressure by Wesleyan right now.

Pointer got knocked down, lost the ball out of bounds, no foul.

You go Blanding will inbounds and that's a five second violation and it's those kind of things that can turn the momentum in your favor when on defense you come up with a five second count on the inbounds.

Absolutely and Hollins is has been scoreless the last three possessions now on the floor and now you get a foul on this And this is this is the run that Wesley has been trying to make since the beginning of the game.

That's going to be the third foul on Hubbard just the second team foul however on holy innocents and a timeout called timeout called by Holy Innocents, wondering what the next great American invention will be.

He meets an innovative Georgia Tech student who have an idea, watch the teams, make their proposals to the judges and see who takes home first place in the 2016 Inventor Prize at Georgia Tech Wednesday March 16th at 730 and only on GPB.

So 2 minutes even to play here in the third quarter of this state championship game, Holy Innocents with a six point lead on Wesleyan, the fourth time they have played this season.

Wesleyan won the first meeting on January 9th at Holy Innocents and then Holy Innocents beat Wesleyan at their place and again in the region.

Championship Games Lob Pass for Coombs puts it in nicely executed by Register and Coombs and Wesley and his cut at the four How about coming out of the timeout with that play call is it great ST You know there was kind of like a soft back screen for Armstrong going to the basket.

You see your baby going to the basket.

But now if you get an alley use from register to call the Wesleyan, you want to be able to try to tie this game over, even take the lead by the end of the third quarter.

Now you're only playing an eight minute game to cell, loses a dribble, picks it back up and got fouled on the play note they call jump ball ball will go to Wesleyan that is another defensive stop for four West end.

This is how they draw it up.

Look at the screen set out there by West Just great play from an out of bounds on the time out wolves have hit their last four shots and West drives and layup hit the bottom of the backboard but off the hands of holy innocents and out of bounds So on the inbounds he's in the bring it in Booker been quiet for a while until Ben lays it in Cairo Booker with the layup she has 11 West agains cut it to two pointer back the other way got fouled foul is going to go against Booker after she got the basket committed the foul and that will put pointer at the line Carol Booker she's not going to stop I mean I've had the opportunity to coaches coach her when she was in the ninth grade you know and you hear Dan Azar talk about her.

She was a player that didn't get off the bench her freshman year.

And now to see that she doesn't get on the bench her sophomore junior year career, it just shows how mature she has become and inevitably be getting a scholarship to Wofford.

Yeah, Coach Azar told us that she's never had a player mature as much as Kairo Booker has from her freshman to her senior season, and it's just a great example for the younger players in the organization inside the program to watch and see.

This is what it takes to become a starter Armstrong, the miss and ahead it comes to Cassel who leaked out and Gasol waits and gets the layup.

That's the difference between waiting on her defender to come to you to make a move and just go ahead and finish.

And at the basket Coombs goes hard to the basket, loses the dribble pointer, brings it up, Blanding misses the layup.

Cassel tried to get the offensive rebounding curtain.

Just a lot more cattails, a lot more active this half.

And she was in the first half alone and you can see it in a combination that she has in her body right now.

Looks like when got tired she slow to get back on defense Coombs goes right at it, lost the ball out of bounds but it was touched by wholly in a sense that Gasol's got to come out.

She's winded and they will bring in Sydney long You can absorb it for 21 seconds right now.

Have her get this extra time to get a breath to go.

She's going to have to play and produce in the fourth period.

This is a chess match.

We're talking about.

If you take out Earth sale and now for Wesley and they take out Armstrong and Bayley, Edwards comes in for the final 18 seconds.

He's the clock.

And use the clock finish the clock register, gets inside the paint.

Got on the play and will go to the lines of 7.1 on the clock, sends a maya register to the foul line so Register gets two free throws.

Foul was called on Blanding and that's number two on her register with five points today completely healthy this season and playing a lot quicker than last season after suffering an ACL two years ago.

They really have a lot of confidence in her.

If they get into a situation where they don't have any timeouts.

Coach Czar feels totally confident in register, being able to run the floor, run the team without her having to talk to them and, you know, set up a play pointer at the buzzer.

It's it Kayla Pointer with the three pointer as the third quarter comes to a close and she's got 13 points in the first 24 minutes of this game.

Kayla Pointer Wesley, you're going to make your run here.

We're going to use this last 7 seconds that we have in this quarter and finish off strong.

Wesley did a great job of just getting the ball and getting the momentum that they need it.

Wesley Holy Innocents finishing with a three point shot from California.

Nice job to finish a quarter.

This program on Gp-B is made possible in part by supporters of the Georgia High School Association, including The following This isn't just any team.

This is your home team, okay?

It's not about a team or B team.

It's not about your boss telling you to be a team player or to take one for team.

No home team is about pride.

It's about standing strong, pulling together and going crazy about a bad call, you know, was right, But because it was against your home team, it must be wrong.

Look, some people just don't get it because it's not their team.

But Farm Bureau Insurance does because everyone needs a home team for insurance and.

We are that.

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One hamburger, medium well, this is well done.

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You wouldn't do it There.

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So don't do it here, Sportsmanship.

It's up to you.

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Start of the fourth quarter.

8 minutes left to decide the class girl state champion and holy innocents trying to dethrone Wesleyan leading 5043 Kayla Poynter doing her best to make that happen.

11 points in the first quarter, ten in the second, nine in the third.

That two in the third, giving her 30 points in this game.

And she's doing it all.

Look, the crazy part about this is she's just a junior, so she has the opportunity to come right back to the same atmosphere next year and do it all over again.

You saw Kayla Pointers, numbers ten of 15 from the floor, three of five on her threes and seven of ten at the Foul line.

And Holy Innocents opens the fourth with the ball landing gets a screen weaves around the defense and with the left hand misses the shot Coombs put it on the floor and lost it.

And then and it's going to be held the innocence ball comes with ten points and five rebounds in the first three quarters of play, five of 13 from the floor and over four threes and Wesley in one for 13 on their threes Blanding and the rebound KSL misses the shot Armstrong got the rebound and dribbled it out of bounds as tough as actually Natalie Armstrong got a piece of that ball almost on the put back by Eric Excell just couldn't finish it hold onto it to finish a defensive possession Armstrong with ten points six rebounds today.

But once again, Holy Innocents gets the ball on the baseline, gets Hubbard gets the handoff.

They get it inside to Kessel who misses the shot.

And Armstrong with her seventh rebound and a maya register gets fouled in the back four by Kessel.

I don't know why Kessel was doing that, but a register just got fouled and that's going to be the first foul on Cosell.

That's a that's a frustrating frustration foul here.

Eric So you had the opportunity to just take a nice strong power balance, lay it up on the strong side contested, which I think you can power through that and get that.

But she tried to elude the defender and missing the shot was a frustrating frustration foul in the end for team fouls now holy innocents Booker inside nicely done Coombs with the basket on the assist by Booker and Wesley and his cut it to five again just keep going the basket go west and keep going to the basket.

Somebody's got to leave it there.

Gasol misses the layup again.

That's twice that.

KESSEL And maybe I don't know whether it's fatigue.

We saw her go to the bench at the end of the third quarter.

Clearly winded.

I don't know if she is tired or what, but she's missed two shots at point blank range here in the fourth quarter.

Yeah, I think when he got away with a double dribble, this blanda hits the runner.

You need that holiday's you need Wesley right now.

They're playing their strongest basketball right now.

If you go bucket four bucket with Wesley, you're okay because you maintain the lead and a blocking foul will be called on Blanding That's number three on Blanding and that's the fifth team foul on Holy Innocents.

And you're right, you got McKayla coombs out there, who is a four star number four junior guard in the country.

This is the time when she needs to take over the ballgame.

Oh, she is.

She has to win.

She has to understand her strengths in this game in particular, her strength right now is putting the basketball on the floor and attacking holy innocents and this and saying, well, Carol Booker, she's done a great job of just continuing to penetrate the paint, finding a shot for herself, dumping it off to open shooters, Ball knocked out of bounds by subtle seven point lead Holy innocents Now less than 7 minutes left in regulation and again knocked out of bounds this time by Hubbard And that's actually a pretty good matchup if you're looking at Hubbard and Mikayla Collins going at it at each other, you have different size type bodies.

But they both they both play hard.

They love to be physical.

And this would be a good matchup year.

They're in man to man and Booker can't hold the inbounds pass and lost it out of bounds.

It's a great defensive stands with your Holy Innocents.

It really was.

Twice they deflected the ball out of bounds until.

Wesleyan made the mistake themselves.

Yeah, you make it hard.

And that subconscious feeling comes in as we can't get the ball in and now becomes a little bit more rust and forced foul is going to be called on.

Booker got Blanding with the body that'll be the fourth team foul on Wesley and in the third on Booker We'll get into a situation here in the next three or 4 minutes a foul free throws are going to be important.

Hopper misses the layup KSL the offensive rebound had her shot blocked by Armstrong Armstrong really done a good job gazelle today she has she's meeting her he's meeting her at the top of her shot blocking foul on Blanding Tony Watkins can't believe it but I think it was the right call.

I believe so, too.

I mean, we are we probably got the best seat in the house right here.

I think she shifted into at the last second.

Absolutely.

And so register at the foul line, Wesleyan, seven of eight at the foul line today.

Holy Innocents is taken ten more free throw attempts than Wesleyan has had in this game.

The next foul Wesleyan is going to be in the bonus.

This is what they've been looking for the whole second half a mile register now seven for seven at the foul line, and Wesleyan has it back to within five Kayla pointer number 24 with 30 points for holy innocence today drives and in and out Armstrong had her hands on the ball again, but this time couldn't hold on to the rebound.

But apparently Holy Innocent got in there and touched it last.

You know, just looking at Erika cheering and she looks a bit fatigued.

But you can understand that because, I mean, she's going up against Nelly Armstrong, who is battling her and ball for those these girls on both sides of the court, they're on the rebound, they're on the glass.

And to give these extra possessions for their team, Kable takes a three off the iron kicks to the corner and Last Touch by Wesleyan.

These two teams know each other so well.

Tony Watkins said, You know, typically when you go over scouting report and you're talking about the other team, you use numbers.

And when they're doing a scouting report on Wesleyan, they just call them by first name.

I mean, they just let you know, it's like, well, you know, these kids are probably playing together as well on on their summer travel team.

So they just they know each other.

They're friends.

They're probably even invited with each other after games.

You never know.

Register with the way up with coast to coast after the basket by Miller.

You know, for both teams, the biggest difference that you need to see right now more than anything is being able to back in transition defense pointer wild shot that time and Cosell couldn't get a handle on it Ibaka say I'm sprint to defense and right now and I get my extra 2.2 seconds of a win and see the register as he's bringing it Yeah Coombs has the ball in her hands and Cazale still walking down the floor and again Coombs settles for a three right there when when Castle's not set up in the paint momentum should of attack Just look at it.

You got one more foul before you're in the bonus for the rest of the game.

And these are two free throws that are a big down the stretch for you.

I mean, hold the innocence there big guy.

Big girl is walking down the floor.

You need to push the tempo.

You attack the basket in a timeout called it for 14 to play and holy innocents leading Wesleyan by five just in time for baseball season.

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Tony Watkins Spinal game is the fully innocent head coach and trying to bring the Golden Bears their first state title since 1999.

They've been in the state championship game the last three years in a row and twice have lost to Wesley.

Will this be the year they finally get over the hump for 14 to play in regulation and holy innocents Leads by five from Kayla Coombs go to the basket is now over five on her three point attempts she's six for ten on her two's 12 points and six rebounds for the highly sought after junior Kayla Hopper to the hoop and lays it in with the left hand simple weave action from Holy Innocents.

Just open up the paint a little bit, get a little dribble, drive one to the basket, just the second basket of the day for Hubbard.

Booker has her shot blocked by Gasol Long outlet comes to Milord and Coombs and registered got back on defense to break up the layup Definitely got lucky because of the Lord never had full possession and a timeout by Janney's are her team down seven with 338 to play So if you're coach Azar what's your message to your team right now down seven the three and a half to play for one As a coach, I can't be frustrated and I can't allow my team to see that I'm frustrated because now as a team I'm carrying that back onto the court because we're not getting what we normally get.

So it's just a is a calming factor right now.

I understand trust everything that we can do.

I trust your training.

You know, they have they don't have many turnovers.

They've got nine turnovers right now.

It's kept them pretty much close to this game.

So trust everything that you've been taught out throughout the course of the season, these last 3 minutes and 38 seconds, you're not down by many.

You can score in bunches.

You know, they maybe had two runs this whole game.

So you look to be able to make this one the last 3 minutes of the game.

Well, a year ago, Natalie Armstrong went 417 in Wesleyan State.

Final victory over Holy Innocents today approaching a double double with ten points and eight rebounds.

Five of ten shooting from the floor, also has a couple of blocks.

And she's just gone.

Great job of maintaining her presence.

You know, a lot of it can be lost when you talk about the Game of Thrones and tightrope walker at a higher register, but she's just done a good job of just maintaining her presence in the paint.

Armstrong The junior center has already been offered by Colorado, plus Belmont, Mercer and several other mid-major programs and subtle misses The three Milord had.

The rebound was tied up with Coombs.

Let's see who they call the foul line for the Colts.

Yeah, Coombs is going to pick up her third foul, and that's going to be the fifth team foul on Wesleyan.

I mean, you know, holy innocence, you're not getting scores out of out of your offensive possession, but what you're doing is you're eating up the clock at the same time.

Holy Innocents spreads the floor with three plus minutes to play ball.

Deflected by Booker.

She it back goes through the defense and lays it in big basket steal for Tyrell Booker.

All right now, Kyra, you're the kill alone senior for Wesleyan.

You have to leave everything on the floor.

Go and get the basketball and score.

Wesleyan has a huge junior class.

Good chance I'm going to be back in this game next year.

Not thinking about that right now as the ball is lost out of bounds by holy innocents.

And this is what happens oftentimes when you spread the floor, you get into that more prevent like type offense.

You start making mistakes, you know, and I call that you playing not to lose.

And, you know, you have to keep doing what got you to that point.

He plan a win attack the basket use the same offenses that are creating that offensive mindset for your team Armstrong with the offensive rebound but had it stripped away out of bounds but it will be Wesley In's ball on the baseline yeah your whole is is right now you want to keep using that dribble weave because that's keeping your guards aggressive cable will inbounds comes in to Armstrong she fires right away and hits it Natalie Armstrong with a big basket As Wesleyan cuts the deficit to three.

Now your experience is kicking in.

We've been here before, Holy Innocents.

We've won the title Holy Innocence.

Let's see what you can do down the stretch and does Holy Innocent start thinking?

Here we go again.

That's Amaya Holding here.

She's trying to box out of Maya.

Register called for the foul.

That's number one on her.

That's the sixth team foul on Wesleyan with 220 to play both teams next foul there and bonus cable comes out for Wesley Taylor Pointer you don't why am I registered they told me take you out of the game they started things to have contact exactly Pointer has not scored in this quarter got fouled on the drive Let's see if that's going to be a shooting foul or a one and one it will be a two shot foul for Kayla Pointer and the Register just picked up that balance number two on her seventh team foul so holy innocents in the bonus for the rest of the way and Kayla Pointer with their 31st point she's eight of 11 at the foul line today eight of 12 they're going to turn this is going to turn into a free throw shooting contest for sure.

Armstrong, another board she's close to a double double today, goes to cable in the corner for four and she hits it big basket by Jamison Cable to cut it one hopper drives coast to coast to Ms. Battle for the rebound Purcell sticks it in was a two minute warning right here Who wants it more Who's going to play defense with go knock them down in transition Coombs tries to go through the defense got tied up jump ball called Wesleyan ball on the baseline just attack the basket This is what Holy Innocent should have continued to been doing.

They lured themselves in and the four out or in the four corner set took control.

The timing of it, you have to continue to score Coombs for three way off the mark Cable had the rebound lost it Armstrong down on her knees to get it Jump ball belongs to Holy Innocence.

That's cable's job.

You find cable let her see their three Mikayla clones.

You got to go to the basket.

You think about it, you're going to be successful in getting the and one the old fashioned three point way and they're going to make the offensive and defensive substitution here.

Cable comes out as Leslie and goes back on defense and they bring in Sutton West and say, this game has so much more time on it.

Now, when you think you have to attack the basket right here, timeout call by Tony Watkins and Holy innocence has one timeout remaining.

I think I just looked at Tony Hawk is lip reading you got to go to the basket you're telling your telling point and you got to go to the basket.

No need to shy away now.

You got 31.

So you have the ball.

Of course, there is no shot clock in high school basketball.

So theoretically, if you can hold the ball for the next one minute and 25 seconds.

You win the game.

Theoretically.

Theoretically.

So what do you tell if you do?

But that's just in theory.

So If you're Tony Watkins, what are you telling your team?

Right.

I mean, you have to go to the basket.

I'm sure he's got some type of quick hitter.

That's good.

That's going to give an opportunity to score.

But you can't settle for when a four out set and relying on your guys offensively.

You know, you look right across in there you got Booker who is quick laterally you got to my Reggie was quick laterally from team in the passing lane where you're playing three three and you've got to go wait you knew that Wesleyan winners of 11 state titles would make their run and they have absolutely.

You know, Nellie Armstrong has been that force inside.

And now you see her making that outside.

Wesleyan is still playing their game offensively.

They haven't deviated from their game plan whatsoever.

Big baskets by Armstrong and Cable to cut it to three take the ball in pointers hands just like this play basketball whole uses who has gotten their pointer attacks gets the ball to Gasol shot blocked by Coombs register down the floor west for the tie game tied at 59.

When you look at the fire Leslie is all right now and you can see the fear in Williams's eyes there's a mismatch right there will have it spread out.

HERBERT However you go to the basket, he's a mismatch and you hope that's going to be able to play with the basketball down to 40 seconds.

Remember, there is no shot clock and high school basketball.

You've got to get caught for 5 seconds.

They can play for a final shot here, but can they hold on to the ball without turning it over?

They give it to Kayla Pointer with 24 seconds.

This is like football and we're going to trash the defense.

Blanding nearly lost his.

They give it the pointer.

Look.

She's going to take it here now.

You're going to you flatten out right here, set one screen.

Let's go to the basket.

9 seconds pointer, throws it in there for Gasol.

Ball ends up in the hands of Armstrong stolen by Blanding with one on the clock And we have got to tell the foul and a foul has been called and Blanding is going to go to the line.

It was a wild shot.

There was no need to try to even defend it.

And Blanding will go to the line 6/10 of a second on the clock.

You had three opportunities to make one basket.

I mean, I understand now we are saying you want to get that ball out and get a easy layup.

You got the time.

Blanding is at the right place at the right time.

She could actually made a pretty good shot out of that.

Now, my question is and I have to see the replay again, if they called this a two shot or a three shot foul, it's a three shot because she was behind the arc, right?

Oh, she I mean, she does almost chuck the ball up there.

It hit the score, but the shot clock.

So Blanding is basically going to have three attempts to win the game with 6/10 of a second.

All she has to do is hit probably one free throw to win the game.

I Mean.

And that's it.

You've got three opportunities to do it if she if she ever wants to be the hero right now you know you're talking about the fifth option for Holy innocents.

She just at the right place at the right time comes up with that steal 5959 awesome big block by Coombs got the ball ahead to register and then Sutton West in the corner to tie it But now we're down to our final 6/10 of a second and blanding at the to try to give holy innocents their first state championship since 1999.

And now Coach Azar calls a timeout to isolate kicking a field goal for football.

But I mean, this is what you have to do.

This is a coaching, but you had to do this.

It's just freezing her out.

I mean, she's almost set down, almost 2 minutes now.

You burn your timeouts, burn them now you'll get an extra one and you're going to overtime.

She misses all three free throws.

How unfortunate for Wesleyan and McKayla Coombs that she committed the foul on that shot that really had almost no chance at all of going in and no chance there.

And instead, Blanding gets the stand at the foul line and try to win a state championship for Holy Innocents.

Have you ever been in this situation, Kiesha?

And what's going through your mind if you're the one shoot and the free throws?

You know, I actually experienced this after the big brawl with Detroit and Los Angeles.

And when everything just and you know, coach, Coach Cooper puts me on the shoot, the free throws and you don't want to think about it, you pretty much you just stay focused on what coach is trying to tell you.

Do not worry about the intensity and, you know, heart palpitating and just make a free throw.

You know, don't think about Do you think about what Blanding misses the first?

She gets two more.

You just think about one thing for Blanding.

This is the second she gets one more Blanding for the state championship and we're going to overtime to you.

She didn't have any legs.

She's got half and free throw and she just didn't use any legs.

All three of those shots, all three of those shots were shot shy, had three free throw attempts.

She needed only one, but one was too much.

And we're tied at 59.

Go into a four minute overtime.

Now you can just see the shift or you can feel the shift in the energy right now going from Holy Innocents to Wesley.

I'm 5959 and four more minutes to play.

And you're right now you've got to deal with that because you're exactly right.

All the momentum is now on Wesley inside.

You got to feel like you just won the lottery.

You got a second chance.

And for Wesley, you just woke up the monster.

You've been dormant for 32 minutes.

You know, you show glimpses of a flame thrower and right now what you have is you just woke up the monster.

You woke up the energy from that, from the fans.

You know, Holiness is what are you going to do?

Are you going to play to to the strength of that or just continue to play your game?

You got four more minutes to make a difference.

And now Shai Blanding has the very difficult assignment of trying to forget about just happened, as does the rest of her team.

Right.

And realize that they still have a great chance to win this game.

We've got four men with four more minutes to go, although probably internally right now they don't feel that way.

No, I mean, you don't feel that way because you realize you had the opportunity to win the game and so many more times, you know, hindsight, 2020, we can look at it.

Of course, we're sitting here watching in as fans as well the things that politicians could have done to maintain the lead that they had.

But what happened was Wesley just kept driving, they kept pushing, they kept pushing, and they use that momentum to get them in overtime.

Well, here we go.

Our first overtime of the 2016 Georgia High School Association State Championships.

And these two bitter rivals will need an extra 4 minutes to decide this championship side blaming was one for one two for those free throws and that's Blanding on the dribble misses the layup Coombs the rebound ahead it comes to Booker Booker's got register on the wing Booker takes it instead and misses the layup but a foul is going to be called on Holy Innocents and Suttle is called for the foul That's for on her You know you need subtle in the game she she does so much there's a slight push in the back a maya register at the foul line she's seven for seven today eight for eight Wesleyan is nine for ten is a team perfect Wesleyan leads by two wins in a matchup zone.

Kayla Pointer misses the lottery after scoring 30 points in the first three quarters and scored only one in the fourth.

Leslie did a good job of taking her out of the game.

It's just a bounce in Wesley and step right now that you hadn't seen in all of regulation and there's a confidence in their body language that holy innocence doesn't have right now.

No Now Wesley is going to do exactly what all is, is we're going to hold it.

We're going to hold the ball, take out some clock.

And Sutton West got fouled by Hubbard on the play.

She's really come on strong in this second half play Some West Hubbard picks up her fourth foul Sutton West goes to the foul line for the first time today Sutton West the 511 sophomore averaging four points per game and Wesley in now 11 for 12 at the foul line in the state championship game.

You got to be here it was Your Holiness and that was a one in one shot and no one moved from the free throw line.

Sidney Long checks in for Blanding, and Wesleyan remains nearly perfect at the foul line.

All four points for them in the overtime have come at the free throw line.

Kayla Pointer got stopped by Armstrong Cindy Long long three Armstrong the rebound Armstrong with a double double today 12 points and 11 boards.

This is a tough matchup right now register a shot blocked by Sutton but a foul was called before the block and if it's Hubbard she fouled out and Hubbard has fouled out of the ballgame.

I mean it's just a tough match up It's a play in if you're Sidney long I mean you got to guard when the quickest guards in the state and Hubbard finishes today with four points and five rebounds and a timeout called by Tony Watkins you really got to feel for holy innocence and Shai Blanding.

Shai Blanding did not get up off that bench when they called that timeout.

You can just see the the young lady's heartbroken, right?

I mean, and, you know, Coach Tony, he subbed her out, just kind of give her a break and then Hobert fouls out.

So now he just saw her right back in him.

Very difficult.

Very difficult.

And that's one of the that's one of the things about the state championship game.

You know, somebody is going to walk out of here.

Yeah.

Jubilant.

The others going to be heartbroken for sure.

You know, you definitely don't want to end it.

End it that way.

And have you done everything that you could possibly do?

You peaked at the right time, had the coaching staff as a basketball team to make it to that moment?

I mean, you you were up by as much as 11 points, ending the third period, all in up in overtime to a juggernaut of a team like Wesley.

So Shai Blanding back out on the floor as Register, who's had a super day today at the free throw line register is nine for nine with 15 points.

He has four steals and three assists.

Let's check in with Jacqui Brennan, who's listening in on Coaches zero.

Thanks, guys.

And Keisha, you'll know this, Jane days are having a hard time sitting down, really trying to stand up.

But I was in on that huddle just a few minutes ago, a high emphasis on guarding Sydney.

They kept saying, Guard, Sydney, Guard, Sydney, you talked about the name basis they go by.

She wants them to spread out, not getting of any threes, all up fundamentals at this stage of the game and just trying to get those wide open layouts.

Thanks, Jacqui.

Back on the other end, the offensive rebound by subtle and she got fouled on the play and she's going to go to the line as Armstrong picks up her second.

Both teams in the bonus here in and the next foul for either team puts the other in the double bonus and subtle hits the free throw subtle with just her fourth point of the day but been very active on the board.

She has eight rebounds.

Be careful.

You might see a press come out west of Holy Innocents.

All the points in overtime have been scored at the free throw line.

Register has subtle on her back forces the turnover good defense by subtle the pressure from behind without fouling and she that because subtle has four foul so you got to be careful with it Milord hits the runner and we're tied at 63.

Keep the press myself on ball Matty on is wide open on the back end tied at 6390 seconds left in the first.

It was just the first of many.

Great game you're going to have happen today for Georgia State Championships.

What a way to tip off.

Day number two and a timeout called by Wesleyan.

And that's their last.

That's a tough time at the take.

You got a minute?

16.

You never know what can happen.

But remember what Coach Azar told us, that she feels very confident, confident that she can play the game without any timeouts because of a maya register being a coach on the floor.

So she's got that in her back pocket for sure.

I mean, and you take you take advantage of that in times like this, you know, and you got Mikayla Collins on the wing and Carroll Booker on the other wing and you know failed that you have to mention that on from who has just held down to four in the paint on both sides all free throws except for one basket by milord here in this overtime and the basket by milord just a few seconds ago the game at 63.

He's great penetration, A nice little teardrop.

Oh, you big sinner, You know, But even you can get a great pass or a great lead off of 4.17.

A double, a final worthy of the match up.

We knew these two teams would go down to the wire, and they've gone down to the wire and then some today, as we're now in our first overtime, tied at 63 cable will inbounds comes to register don't foul play basketball without fouling.

Right now both teams are going to be in a double bonus on the next foul Leslie and running clock as we approach one minute to play in this first overtime and a foul is going to be called on Sutton that's a film that's going to put register the best free throw shooter in this game at the foul line for two shots.

That's tough because it looks like the Pelicans pushed her into that.

So the foul on Sutton means she has done for the day.

And so Holy Innocents has now lost two players to fouls and subtle and another doesn't keep players for them.

You know they're not ones that are going to start to Yeah they're not going to put up a bunch of points you, but they're going to do the dirty work for you.

So Cydney Long is going to check into the ballgame and she's a two year starter, as we mentioned before, who's just come back from a knee injury and register has missed only one free throw the entire day.

You Got Ice Man on the free throw line.

She is so impressive.

And a one point lead for Wesley in that was her second Miss Kayla Pointer has not scored a basket since the third quarter until then.

And Holy Innocents back on top depression.

Move, Move it out foul and play defense all year.

It's Wesley and you already know she's got it covered right here.

A little sloppy action.

We're going to get the ball in one of these guys hands.

That is just super quick.

Booker Circles misses the layup Rebound Castle Holy Innocents has the lead and the ball and a foul is going to be called on register and that will put Blanding back at the line and a chance for redemption for Shai Blanding.

And that's absolutely what it is.

You have the opportunity to make up for it.

That's you go to the whole point and keep attacking like you've been doing the entire game.

Show up when your team needs you most and Shai Blanding gets a second chance.

Perfect.

You knew and I think she knew that given the opportunity to be right back in that situation, back in that space, she's going to capitalize off of it.

Not pulling for anybody.

But you kind of pull for a kid after what she did and missed three free throws at the end of regulation.

Armstrong, the rebound, two point game, 20 seconds to go.

You got long on west in the corner right there and not let her see daylight.

Booker drives down the 10 seconds register wild shot ball off selves Got it Armstrong has it 3 seconds what do they call jump ball Wesley got it with 3.1 and they'll inbounds with 3.1 great penetration.

Way to stay in your verticality Erica Purcell you got to jump ball I mean this is it.

This is what you fight for.

Okay now let's get in the huddle again here.

Coach, what kind of play you drawn up?

Kiesha Down to 3.1 state championship on the line.

Well, you understand right now you're going to get a face guard on West.

So we already know that.

So it's almost like a decoy for Sutton where she may end up actually trying to run a back screen on an opposite side for a shot.

You know, you can see what Denise out.

She's got so much experience in this position.

You can probably see some type of Mr. Inflatable.

Two point lead for Holy Innocents and 3.1 seconds separating them from their first state title since 1999.

West LAMB Run will have the ball inbounds, a chance to tie or win it on this possession you see hover and the huddle and she's filed out and she's a no hitter for holy innocents.

Just given the last piece of energy she has to that well here you go.

Register is going to inbounds you be careful because now we on from she can shoot from out there here you go inbounds hard time getting it in They finally do ball is deflected fully innocent is the state champion congratulations Holy They finally get the job done.

You peak at the right time.

You do everything the right way.

There are kitchen valleys in this games, but at the end of the day you succeed.

And just a special, special congratulations to William Tony Watkins.

It's a two year old who was able to come back and hit that one key free throw.

Holy Innocents state champions for the first time since 1999.

And they dethroned their arch rivals Wesleyan, who was going for their 12th straight title and hugs all around for Tony Watkins.

And what a special moment of redemption for Shai Blanding, who had had the opportunity to win, did that in the regulation and missed three free throws, came back and hit big free throw to secure the victory here in overtime means you see so many guys is a steel coach.

He's got his 12, as he calls them, you know, and just a congratulations to them.

I mean, they just they deserved it.

They deserved to win this game.

You know, they played well throughout the course of the game.

They had a mental lapse when probably they even in the worst part time they needed.

But just a congratulations to the whole staff and the whole program.

Williams and Holy Innocents and Wesleyan lives up to the billing and Holy Innocents, the state champions here in 2016 with a dramatic 66, 64 victory.

It was Kayla Poynter who led the way with 33 exactly half of their points and holy innocents, the state champions here in 2016, defeating Wesleyan 6664.

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Build your blueprint for success at Goebel Georgia dot com and look to the technical college system of Georgia to put your plan into action one away the tip off day two of the HSA boys and girls state championship the girls to a title overtime thriller and now for the trophy presentation I turn the microphone over to the executive director of the GHC, Gary Phillips.

Coach Watkins, congratulations on a thriller Here's your championship trophy.

Congratulations to you and your team for a great season and a great championship game.

Thank you, Coach.

What goes through your mind as you see your team hold that championship trophy up?

The first one for Holy Innocents since 1999?

Tony, I just got one thing to say.

I love these girls, Ronnie.

That's all I got.

Well, I tell you, they put it all there on the line.

You guys had a nice lead.

You had to wind up and win it in overtime.

Talk about the thriller.

Well, you know, when you when you play a team like Wesleyan, the game's never over.

They're one of the best programs in the entire country.

You know, when when they got a lead on us right there, our girls didn't quit.

They came together.

They believed and it worked out.

All right.

Congratulate the coach.

Let's talk to Kayla over here.

Number 24, locked in first, Erica, the senior on the team.

Talk a little about winning this championship and Holly on that trophy.

I mean, it's amazing.

I really feel like our program has been through anything else like more than anyone else in the state of Georgia.

We my freshman year, the Final four, in the last two years, we lost the state championship.

And now in our senior years, all three of us, we get to take this home and our coach, he gets to take it home at his last game with us.

And it's just an awesome memory.

I don't think you're going to give that up.

You're going to hold on to that thing I'm working for.

It is ready for Kayla.

We're out of here.

Where?

Kayla, Go.

Come up here.

What an outstanding game.

31 points.

Talk about leading this team to victory today.

Oh, I gave it to my teammates.

Well, we just.

We need it.

We need.

We practice in practice and worked hard.

We just wanted this so bad.

We were determined to get this win and we just got to the end and came out with the W. Talk about the mindset going into the overtime because it was really a white knuckle time.

We just had to attack the basket.

Our backs were against the wall and every they had the momentum.

Everyone was falling out, but we just stayed together.

We played as a team and came out with the W girls.

You got to send your coach off with a big championship, a state championship.

What's that mean to all of you?

We love him.

We did it for him.

We love him so much.

Are we going to miss him?

We love you, Coach.

All right.

Well, congratulations.

The holy innocents, the class two girls, state championship in 2016.

And now it's time for the GPB tailgate party.