A young Josey squad with little state championship stage experience pushed a veteran, two-time defending state champ to the limit.
But ultimately, Mount Paran’s experience and toughness in the paint took over, leading to a 59-52 win.
Down 53-46 with under two minutes remaining in regulation, Josey could’ve cut the lead to as few as four as sophomore Kerri Fluellen drove to the cup and scored with what looked to be a potential 3-point play on a blocking foul. Officials called a charging foul instead, and Fluellen fouled out.
Mount Paran was able to knock down most of its crunch time free throws to preserve the win and its third straight state championship and second consecutive Class AA crown.
Fluellen led Josey with 20 points while Ciara Alexander paced Mount Paran with 22.
The first half played out like a battle of the state’s top two teams.
Both teams briefly enjoyed leads as large as four points. That was the most advantage either squad could squeak out during the first two quarters.
Fluellen had her way, particularly in the first quarter, as she scored 13 first half points while drilling all three of the 3-pointers she shot before early foul trouble sidelined her for much of the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Mount Paran’s Ciara Alexander was just as dominant in the paint as Fluellen was for Josey on the perimeter. Her 14 first-half points kept helped keep the game even at 27 during halftime.
Mount Paran came out in the second half with more intentionality, forcing Josey into a couple of turnovers while making a concerted effort to consistently get to the paint. It resulted in the Eagles from Kennesaw opening up a five point lead early in the third.
But enter Fluellen and her hot shooting once again. After Mount Paran built a 38-32 lead, she started chopping it down, first with a spinning floater jump shot in the lane, then her and Shaniya Sanders took turns burying a pair of threes to make it chopping the lead to two by the end of the third quarter.
Mount Paran scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and held Josey scoreless for the first three minutes of the final period to help the Lady Eagles from Kennesaw stave off a late Josey surge.
Check back in with theaugustapress.com for more Class AA state championship coverage.
Gabriel Stovall is sports editor for The Augusta Press. He can be reached at gabriel@theaugustapress.com. Follow him on X (Twitter), Instagram and Threads: @GabrielCStovall.
