Deerfield-Windsor’s girls win; will play for state title Friday night

The Lady Knights of Deerfield-Windsor won for the 21st time in a row Wednesday night, beating Lakeview Academy of Gainesville 67-59 and now advance into the GIAA Class AAA girl’s state basketball championship game Friday night in Macon. The Lady Knights will face region rival Tiftarea Academy for the championship. Just before Deerfield-Windsor took the floor at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Tiftarea defeated Southland Academy 41-37 to advance to the finals.

Deerfield-Windsor opened up hot Wednesday night and poured it on early with a 42-19 halftime lead. Point guard Joi Hubbard scored 16 first-half points to lead the attack early. Gabrielle Harris had the hot hand in the second half, as she put in 15 points after the break.

The Lady Knights led 55-35 heading into the final quarter and Lakeview outscored Deerfield-Windsor 24-12 in the final period but the lead was more than enough to give the Lady Knights the win.

Harris led the scoring for the Lady Knights with 23 points. Hubbard scored 21, Murphy Ray put in 11 and Margaret Saddler added eight.

Friday night’s state championship game at Mercer University will be the fourth time Deerfield-Windsor and Tiftarea have played this season. The Lady Knights won 45-39 in the first game, 66-34 in the second, and 50-37 in the region championship game. The question is: Can the Lady Knights stop Tiftarea four times in a row? Tip-off Friday night in Macon is set for 6 p.m.

Joe WhitfieldJoeWhitfield[email protected]