The Kell girls were aiming for their second Georgia High School Association basketball championship on Thursday, but fell short in the Class 4A finals in a 58-50 win by Marist.
The Kell Lady L0nghorns were the underdog on Thursday against Marist, which had been No. 1 in Class 4A and features high school All-American Kate Harpring, the national high school player of the year.
At the Macon Coliseum, Kell fell behind in the first quarter but stayed close, trailing 26-21 at halftime, then took the lead in the third quarter.
But that was the only lead they would have, as Harpring helped close out Marist’s third title in five years with 12 points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 40 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the all-time girls basketball scoring leader in Georgia high school basketball history, with 3,399 points.
“It’s been a great season, but I’m super proud that we even got here,” Kell coach Kandra Bailey said in a Cobb County School District release after the game. “I’m proud of the effort we put on the floor tonight.”
Bailey, who gave birth to a baby boy less than two weeks ago, said that “obviously, I’m going to finish this season with my girls, because they’re my first kids! But now I’m going to get back home with my baby tonight.”
Related:
- Lassiter swimmers, Walton wrestlers win state titles
- Wheeler retires basketball star Collier’s jersey
- Boston Celtics star joins Wheeler Athletic Hall of Fame
- East Cobb high school athletes make college commitments
- Wheeler hires football coach who won Fla. state title
- Pope youth football coach and booster battling dementia
- Walton Hall of Fame class includes former Little League star
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