Demonettes outpace Perry to advance to Region 1-4A championship game

WARNER ROBINS — Perry (8-15) played Warner Robins (21-3) tight through the first 12 minutes of the Region 1-4A semifinals, but the Demonettes eventually outpaced them in a 57-32 final on Wednesday night.

Warner Robins’ rebounding struggles are well documented and the Lady Panthers have the perfect players to exploit that.

Sophomore Jasmine Lawrence and junior Hayden Hattaway offer more size than most of the Demonettes’ roster. Paired with Warner Robins’ inconsistencies on the glass, the duo gave Perry frequent second-chance opportunities.

“It’s a big thing I talk about all the time, rebounding is heart,” Head coach Rebecca Ivory said. “I think we just started focusing on it more [in the second half]…Once again, going back to the little things…we talked about closing in on defense and getting ourselves in a position to box out.”

The teams traded the lead back and forth in the opening period, though a couple of well-timed turnovers gave the Demonettes a 14-9 lead after one.

Janelle Turner was their only frequent interior scorer and outside of transition baskets stemming from turnovers Warner Robins had a hard time scoring in the first half.

But around the halfway point of the second quarter they started to pick up the tempo, reaping more turnovers and getting easier baskets.

A 29-16 halftime lead nearly doubled after the third, pitting the Lady Panthers against a 48-24 margin entering the final quarter.

Turner led the third with nine points and had 23 overall, but multiple players contributed to the steady growth of Warner Robins’ lead.

“Just being ‘Nelle. She played hard,” Ivory said on the keys to Turner’s performance. “She’s one of those ones that’s relentless at the rim. If she misses she’s gonna go back and get it…I can see growth in her. She knows when she does wrong, you see her tap her chest and tell you, ‘My fault coach.’ She even came to me in the second quarter and said, ‘I gotta finish, coach, that’s on me.’”

Jyrah Aizpu’s three baskets created more space for the Demonettes at the start of the fourth, and by that point the game was far out of reach.

UP NEXT

Warner Robins will play Wayne County on Feb. 13 for the Region 1-4A championship at 7 p.m.

Perry will play Ware County in the consolation game on Feb. 13 at 4 p.m.