Woodward Academy goes back-to-back: Day 2 Georgia girls basketball championship game photos and recap

The War Eagles rout Forest Park behind Georgia signee Sydney Bowles.

Author:
David Friedlander
Publish date:
Mar 11, 2022 1:13 AM EST

By David Friedlander | Photos by Ed Turlington

Sydney Bowles celebrated being named Gatorade's Georgia Girls Basketball Player of the Year earlier in the day, and then had more to celebrate by scoring a game-high 19 points to lead Woodward Academy to back-to-back state championships.

The Georgia signee, who also had seven rebounds and six assists, put the War Eagles (29-2) in front to stay at 16-15 by completing a three-point play with a free throw with 5:25 left in the first half.

Bowles scored 12 of her points during a 27-9 run in the second quarter to overwhelm Forest Park (22-7) and cruise to a 72-44 win in the Class 5A state championship game.

Woodward also got a big game from Sara Lewis (17 points, six steals) and MacKenzie Moring (11 points, five steals), who played a big part in forcing Forest Park into 39 turnovers.

The Panthers got a strong performance from Yasmine Allen, who matched Bowles' game-high total with 19 points.

Class 2A

Elbert County 52, Rabun County 44

Niya Moon scored half of her 14 points in the fourth quarter — including five free throws in the final two minutes — to lift Elbert County (28-4) to its first state championship.

Aaniyah Allen led the Blue Devils with 17 points, also pulling down six rebounds and blocking two shots, while Terrace Hester scored 12 points before fouling out.

Carly Haban finished with a game-high 18 points to lead Rabun County (24-6), while the Wildcats got a double-double from Gracie Deetz, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds.