Dream deferred: Cannon girls fall in NCISAA 4A state basketball finals
BY STEVE LYTTLE
It was all going so well for the Cannon School girls’ basketball team Saturday afternoon. The Cougars were piling up offensive rebounds and making enough shots to open a seven-point lead against Rabun Gap School. And then – seemingly in an instant – it all went away.
“It’s hard to figure it out, when something like that happens,” Cannon School coach Kelvin Drakeford said. “But it all turned around.”
The Cougars’ shooting turned dreadfully cold, and Rabun Gap took the lead and widened it, wining the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A championship 53-43 at Calvary Day School. It was the second straight state title for the Eagles, whose school is in the northeast Georgia mountains.
“We haven’t had a game like this since we lost in the playoff semifinals a year ago,” said Drakeford, whose team finished with a 24-6 record. “When you make only 4 of 21 3’s, it’s tough to win.”
Cannon School took a 28-19 lead with 6:45 left in the third quarter on two free throws by Samya Suffren.
“At that point, everything was going well,” Drakeford said. “We were making some baskets, getting offensive rebounds, and playing good defense.”
For the remainder of the game, the Cougars hit 3-of-25 from the floor. And when they got to the foul line, things went no better. They hit 8-of-18 free throws in the final 14 minutes of play.
Rabun Gap (25-7) went on a 17-1 run in the third quarter, taking a 36-33 lead into the final period. The fourth quarter followed a familiar theme. Cannon School missed a shot, Rabun Gap rebounded, Cannon fouled Rabun Gap, and the Eagles usually made the free throw. In fact, the Eagles hit 15-of-20 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We tried – we really tried,” Drakeford said. “We fought. We kept applying pressure defensively. We worked to get rebounds. But no matter how hard we worked, the shots just didn’t fall.”
Drakeford credited Rabun Gap’s zone defense with some of the shooting problems.
“They used their length to cause chaos for us,” he said. “They contested a lot of our shots. They had a strong game defensively.”
Cannon School standout Samya Suffren closed her high school career with a game-high 20 points. But she made only two field goals in the second half and usually found a Rabun Gap defender’s arm in her way when she shot. She was the only Cannon School player in double figures.
Mia Wilson, a 5-7 senior guard, led Rabun Gap with 16 points. The Eagles finished with 25-of-40 from the foul line.
BY STEVE LYTTLE
It was all going so well for the Cannon School girls’ basketball team Saturday afternoon. The Cougars were piling up offensive rebounds and making enough shots to open a seven-point lead against Rabun Gap School. And then – seemingly in an instant – it all went away.
“It’s hard to figure it out, when something like that happens,” Cannon School coach Kelvin Drakeford said. “But it all turned around.”
The Cougars’ shooting turned dreadfully cold, and Rabun Gap took the lead and widened it, wining the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A championship 53-43 at Calvary Day School. It was the second straight state title for the Eagles, whose school is in the northeast Georgia mountains.
“We haven’t had a game like this since we lost in the playoff semifinals a year ago,” said Drakeford, whose team finished with a 24-6 record. “When you make only 4 of 21 3’s, it’s tough to win.”
Cannon School took a 28-19 lead with 6:45 left in the third quarter on two free throws by Samya Suffren.
“At that point, everything was going well,” Drakeford said. “We were making some baskets, getting offensive rebounds, and playing good defense.”
For the remainder of the game, the Cougars hit 3-of-25 from the floor. And when they got to the foul line, things went no better. They hit 8-of-18 free throws in the final 14 minutes of play.
Rabun Gap (25-7) went on a 17-1 run in the third quarter, taking a 36-33 lead into the final period. The fourth quarter followed a familiar theme. Cannon School missed a shot, Rabun Gap rebounded, Cannon fouled Rabun Gap, and the Eagles usually made the free throw. In fact, the Eagles hit 15-of-20 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We tried – we really tried,” Drakeford said. “We fought. We kept applying pressure defensively. We worked to get rebounds. But no matter how hard we worked, the shots just didn’t fall.”
Drakeford credited Rabun Gap’s zone defense with some of the shooting problems.
“They used their length to cause chaos for us,” he said. “They contested a lot of our shots. They had a strong game defensively.”
Cannon School standout Samya Suffren closed her high school career with a game-high 20 points. But she made only two field goals in the second half and usually found a Rabun Gap defender’s arm in her way when she shot. She was the only Cannon School player in double figures.
Mia Wilson, a 5-7 senior guard, led Rabun Gap with 16 points. The Eagles finished with 25-of-40 from the foul line.
