Published: February 09, 2010 11:25 pm      

LFO puts brakes on SE surge

FORT OGLETHORPE — Southeast Whitfield’s Lady Raiders played Sub-region 6A-3A rival Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe with several key players, including starting guards Haley Lock and Mallory Edgeman, battling the flu.

The host Lady Warriors, ranked No. 7 in the latest GaSports.com Class 3A coaches poll, remained undefeated in the sub-region by posting a 50-40 victory on Tuesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Southeast had won eight straight games.

“We have people that aren’t feeling well and I can’t fault them for that,” Lady Raiders coach Elizabeth Crane said. “But I have some that were 100 percent and not giving me their best effort and that upset me. We didn’t have that team attitude tonight.”

The Lady Raiders (13-10, 8-2 in 6A-3A) lost two sub-region games, both at the hands of the Lady Warriors (20-5, 11-0), with the first coming Jan. 12 when LFO won, 63-57 in overtime.

LFO and Southeast are the No. 1 and 2 seeds heading into the 6A-3A tournament at Heritage-Catoosa starting Thursday and both earned first-round byes.

The Lady Raiders will play Friday against the LaFayette-Ridgeland winner and Crane expects that will be LaFayette. Southeast beat the Lady Ramblers twice during the season, 61-36, and 66-43.

“I told the girls we like being the No. 2 seed better than the No. 1 seed,” Crane said, “because that’s better for us.”

A win on Friday would ensure Southeast a spot in the Region 6-3A tournament and move them into Saturday’s sub-region title game, most likely against LFO.

Should the Lady Raiders beat LFO, they will clinch a berth in the Class 3A state playoffs. Another loss to the Lady Warriors would mean Southeast would have to win at least one region tournament game to reach the state tourney.

Briana Sosebee, who led the short-handed Lady Raiders with a game-high 19 points, believes Southeast is ready to make a postseason run, after missing the state playoffs by one game last season.

“We should make state this year,” Sosebee said. “I look forward to us and LFO in the (sub-region) championship.”

Crane said an overall lack of effort put the Lady Raiders in an inescapable hole. They trailed 23-10 after the first quarter, 29-16 at halftime and 34-23 after three quarters.

Southeast was down 40-25 with five minutes remaining and went on a 7-0 run to pull within eight. But LFO’s Michelle Morgan took advantage of Southeast’s defensive lapse and hit a wide-open 3-pointer as the Lady Warriors regained the momentum.

Elizabeth Smedema led LFO with 14 points and Jacqueline Schadeck had 11.

Pearson scored nine points for the Lady Raiders.