Bulloch Academy ends Westwood’s season in GISA Class AAA semifinals

MACON — Having already won two straight GISA Class AA girls state championships, all Westwood needed was two more victories for a third.

However, the Bulloch Academy posed a formidable obstacle.

It was the first obstacle all season that the Lady Wildcats could not overcome as Bulloch (27-4) handed Westwood its first loss of the season, beating the Lady Wildcats 57-44 Thursday night at Mercer University’s Hawkins Arena.

The loss ended Westwood’s dream of a third straight title and an undefeated season. The Lady Wildcats end their season at 28-1 while Bulloch Academy (27-4) will face Gatewood for the Class AAA state championship on Saturday. Gatewood defeated Heritage 64-33.

“It’s always disappointing when your season ends and you don’t have a championship,” Westwood coach Jenni Smith said. “They (Bulloch) are by far the best team we’ve played all season.”

Trailing 41-38 in the fourth quarter, the Lady Wildcats still had a chance. However, Bulloch went on an 8-0 run, a run that effectively spelled doom.

Bulloch Academy’s Pate Lomax led all scorers with 24 points. The Gators had two other scorers in double figures — Ashley Burke scored 14 points and Mikay Sands scored 10.

Westwood was led in scoring by Callie Smith with 14 points and Morgan Singleton with 12. Haley Marshall also chipped in eight points for the Lady Wildcats.

Maturity on the court was a big issue as Karlie Jones, an eighth-grader, was forced to guard the senior All-State performer Lomax.

“We tried everybody on her,” Westwood assistant coach Tim Smith said. “That was the mismatch of the night.”

Both teams got off to a rough start early as they both turned the ball over, but Burke scored the game’s first points with under seven minutes in the first quarter. However, Marshall answered for the Lady Wildcats shortly thereafter.

The Gators went up 8-2 before Callie Smith nailed a 3-pointer to bring Westwood to within three. The Lady Wildcats struggled to get shots off due to the intense defense of the Gators. Lomax nailed a shot at the buzzer to give the Gators a 14-8 lead to end the first quarter.

Things started off well for Westwood to begin the second quarter as Smith nailed a jumper to cut the deficit to 14-10. The Lady Wildcats went on a 4-1 run capped off by a basket from Singleton, forcing Bulloch coach Paul Webb to call time out with 4:17 left in the half.

After Lomax scored again to put the Gators up by three, Singleton drove to the basket, scored, was fouled and made the 3-point play to tie the game at 17. Both teams traded baskets before Singleton scored the go-ahead basket to give Westwood a 21-19 lead at the half.

The Gators scored the first four points of the second half, but Smith and Marshall each scored to tie the game at 25. The Gators went on a 4-0 run before Jenni Smith called time out with 3:16 left in the third quarter. A minute and a half later, Bulloch’s Paige Spence nailed a 3-pointer to put the Gators up 35-27. However, 20 seconds before the end of the third quarter, Smith drilled a 3-pointer to keep the Lady Wildcats within five at 39-34.

The Lady Wildcats scored four points right off the bat to start the final quarter thanks to baskets from Singleton and Marshall. However, Sands scored two straight baskets on the inside to increase the Gators’ lead back to five at 43-38. Westwood struggled on the inside with the taller front line of Bulloch Academy.

“They had two really good post players,” Jenni Smith said. “We were just outmatched size-wise. We had Morgan (Singleton) guarding Lomax most of the night until Morgan got into foul trouble. Once we had to move Morgan off of her, we struggled to find someone to guard her. She’s a really good player.”

With a little over four minutes left in the game, Bulloch took over, building a 49-38 lead before Westwood called time out to try and make one last stand.

With a little over a minute left in the game and Westwood trailing 52-41, Smith hit another 3-pointer to cut the lead to eight but that was as close as they would get.