By: Logan Maddox
Coming into Tuesday’s region 5-4A matchup in Carrollton, eyes from around the state were fixated on the Central girls team.
The Lady Lions were 12-1 on the season with their only loss coming to Bowdon in a post-Christmas Tournament back on Dec. 29. Central’s girls have enjoyed key victories over Chattooga, Temple, and perennial power Haralson County.
They were undefeated in region play, coming off two straight wins against LaGrange and Cartersville. But as the old saying goes, “You can’t win them all.”
The Cedartown Lady Bulldogs walked out of the Lion’s Den at Central High School, upsetting their beloved Lady Lions 55-41.
After trailing by as many as ten in the first half and being down 24-20 at halftime, Cedartown’s offense woke up in a big way and put up 20 points in the third period.
The offensive attack was led by Sophomore Lady Bulldog Keke Turner, who kept on rolling in the final period and gave Cedartown their first double-digit lead with only a few minutes left in the game.
The defense remained solid down the stretch and allowed only 17 points in the second half.
Turner had arguably her best performance in the upset with a 26 points night, along with 10 rebounds to record a double-double in the win. Tamera Beeman was also in double-digits in scoring, finishing with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Qiana Watson put together another nice offensive game, adding 9 points, and Marycille Brumby hit two three-pointers and grabbed 8 rebounds.
The 14-point victory might have surprised some, but one person who was not shocked by the performance was Lady Bulldogs Head Coach Eddie Gambrell.
Gambrell said in the preseason, “Our girl’s program has not had expectations this high ever. We expect to make the playoffs this year.”
His Lady Bulldogs are definitely playing playoff-caliber basketball at the moment.
Since falling to Rockmart in the third place game of the Georgia Vinyl and Thread Rockmart Christmas Tournament back in December, Cedartown has won three straight games in the region.
The win over the Lady Lions marked the first time the Lady Bulldogs have won since January 2017, when they snapped a four-game losing streak against the Lady Lions.
The Lady Bulldogs sit at 9-3 on the season and atop the region standings with a 3-0 record against 5-4A opponents.
They are ranked No. 11 in the state for Class 4A as they head into Thursday evening. Cedartown’s girls look to exact revenge on the last team who beat them, the rival Rockmart Lady Jackets.
The squads have split their two matchups this season, and will play their third and final game against each other at Rockmart High School Thursday, with the game tipping off at 6 p.m.