KENNESAW — A season marked by achievement ended in disappointment Friday for the Calvary Day girls basketball team, as the Cavaliers saw their season end in a 50-27 loss to St. Francis in the Class A private school semifinals.
From the moment the teams took the floor at the Kennesaw State gymnasium, St. Francis dominated. The Knights came out hustling and never slowed down, building a 21-5 lead after the first quarter and basically putting the game away by halftime, when they led 34-8.
St. Francis will face the winner of Holy Innocents and Southwest Atlanta Christian for the Class A private school title next Saturday at the Macon Centreplex.
“They were a well-rounded team and did a good job coming out with intensity,” Calvary coach Jackie Hamilton said. “We had the deer-in-the-headlights kind of look. They jumped on us and we never responded.”
St. Francis won it behind a pressure defense that forced 14 Calvary turnovers in the first half alone.
“They played good defense, but we didn’t do much offensively,” Hamilton said. “It seemed like we were nervous and had the jitters. They scored a lot on fast breaks and were getting offensive rebounds for easy second shots. That made it hard on us.”
Antoinette Brown (16 points) was a presence in the paint for the Knights, scoring many of her points on putbacks.
University of Miami-bound senior Nigia Greene showed off her polished game by scoring 12 points off the bench for St. Francis.
“Our game plan was to keep No. 3 (Calvary’s Alexus Parker) out of the paint, and I thought we did a good job with that,” St. Francis coach Aisha Kennedy said. “Our strength has been our high-tempo, in-your-face defense and man-to-man pressure. We’re a small team, so we need to capitalize on our defense.”
Parker, the senior star headed to Prairie View A&M on a basketball scholarship, had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers (26-4). Olivia Harrell (12 points) and Sarah Hamilton (10 rebounds) also contributed in their final game for Calvary Day.
It was an emotional locker room as Hamilton talked to his team after the season-ending loss.
“There’s not much you can say to them after a game like that,” Hamilton said. “I just told them I was proud of their season. We won a regional title and reached the Final Four. Not many teams are able to do that.”
Parker fought back tears reflecting on her final high school game.
“They ran the floor well, rebounded and got a lot of second-chance shots,” she said. “We didn’t get back on defense, and that hurt us. But when I look back, I loved my time at Calvary. It’s a family-oriented team. Even when stuff goes bad, we look at the positive more than the negative.”
Basketball was truly about family for Sarah Hamilton, the rugged forward and coach’s daughter.
“It was a tough game. They were really good at rebounding,” she said. “Playing for my dad has been fun. We had our share of fights on the rides home from games, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
ST. FRANCIS (50)
Davis 3, Stewart 3, Nigia Greene 12, Williams 6, Antoinette Brown 16, Tramble 4, Grant 6.
CALVARY (27)
Griffin 1, Alexus Parker 11, Olivia Harrell 12, Hamilton 1, Lanier 2.
Halftime—St. Francis 50-27. Records—CD 26-4; SF 23-8.