Jonathan Hemingway
CoachHemi.com
December 31, 2019
The third-place game was not where the Lady Falcons wanted to be on Monday night. A 2019 Lanierland championship was the goal for coach Newton-Gonzalez and the ladies from Flowery Branch, but a 56-39 victory over Cherokee Bluff and third place finish is far from a disappointment.
“I am proud of how we handled a big loss the other night,” Newton-Gonzalez said. “We bounced back, and it was an important game for our young guards to build confidence.”
The Falcons received a terrific effort from their junior center, Ashlee Locke. The Mercer commit scored a team high 15 points while controlling the paint with rebounding and shot blocking. Locke played with exceptional confidence. She gave credit to her teammates.
“My teammates are always telling me that I am better than what I think I am. They encourage me to be my best,” she said.
The third quarter proved to be the decisive period in the game. With the Falcons holding a ten-point lead at the break, they outscored the Lady Bears 17-8 coming out of the locker room.
Coach Newton-Gonzalez said there was not a specific adjustment that sparked the run, but simply executing their inside-out attack.
“Locke did a better job of picking her moments to post up and our guards did a good job of getting it in there,” she said. “After that our guards hit open shots.”
Flowery Branch hit eight 3-pointers in all in the game. Freshman guard Bella Brick hit four on her way to a 14-point outing. Sophomore guard Shaina Kriews added 11 in the win.
Cherokee Bluff had bright spots despite the loss. Sophomore guard Timber Gaither scored a game high 16 points for coach Lindsay Justice’s team.
The Lady Bears scored the first four points of the third quarter, which included a Gaither 3-pointer. It appeared that Cherokee Bluff was poised to take the game to the wire after cutting the lead to six. However, the Lady Falcons went on a 15-2 run and set up a 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Locke and Gaither both earned Lanierland All Tournament recognition.
