The Lamar County High School girls basketball team has made it to the Elite 8 round of the GHSA state playoffs. This is following two hard-fought wins at home.
1st Round – Lamar County 54, Northeast 48
On Tuesday, February 18, the Trojans beat Northeast 54-48 at home thanks to freshman, Jaziyah Foster, who had a commanding double-double performance. Foster led the team in scoring with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Ella Bleu Leverett also had a terrific game against Northeast, scoring 8 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Ashlyn Smith and Makayla Watts scored 9 and 6 points respectively. Kayla Stewart had 3 assists.
Sweet 16 – Lamar County 60, Putnam County 55
Lamar County pulled out a gutsy win over Putnam County this past Friday, coming from behind and besting their Region 4 foes for the third time this season. Makayla Watts and Jaziyah Foster scored 15 points each. Watts secured a double-double by adding 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Kayla Stewart was a key contributor offensively, moving fluidly through the Putnam defense in the second half, scoring 12 points in the game. Stewart also added two steals to her stat line. Ashlyn Smith provided a crucial spark from beyond the arc, earning 12 points. Bri Jackson had 11 rebounds and four points, while Ella Bleu Leverett performed well on both ends with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Next Round – Elite 8
The team will travel to Rome on Tuesday to face Model at 6:00 PM. Model is the number three seed in the Class A Division 1 bracket. They defeated Social Circle 64-31 in Round 1 and Central (Macon) 32-30 on Saturday.
The address of Model High School is 3252 Calhoun Rd NE, Rome, Georgia.
The winner of Tuesday’s contest in Rome will advance to the Final Four and play Rabun County or Banks County. The Final Four matchup is scheduled for 5:00 PM on Saturday at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
