Jordyn Dorsey scored 30 points, including six in a 14-5 run to open the second half that gave Cross Creek the breathing room it needed in a 56-44 victory over defending champion Greater Atlanta Christian in the Class 3A girls basketball championship game Friday at the Macon Coliseum.
Dorsey, a 5-foot-9 guard who signed with North Carolina A&T, combined with frontcourt teammates Jasiiyah Holmes, Erin Martin and Jenna Wilborn to dominate in the paint. Cross Creek outrebounded the Spartans 44-24, leading to a 14-3 advantage in second-chance points that was almost identical to the margin of the game’s final score.
“That was our thing, control the boards, control the ball and run the floor,” Cross Creek coach Kim Schlein said. “Jenna did a great job down there today. I’m so proud of her. She had a big task, and she did really good down there. The whole team did great, that’s all I can say. It was a team effort.”
Third-ranked Cross Creek, which lost in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs last year before moving down in a reclassification, won the first championship in program history and finished 23-2. No. 10 GAC (15-8) was denied its 10th state title.
The Razorbacks used only five players until Martin fouled out with 1:38 remaining in the game, and all of them made major contributions. Dorsey led the way in scoring, contributed six rebounds and went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line.
“Jordyn is a special girl,” Schlein said. “We always said every game we played, ‘They’re good, but they don’t have Jordyn Dorsey.’ And we kept saying that. Jordyn proved it tonight. She brought her A-game, and she is so excited. She’s valedictorian of the school, and she’s got a state championship ring. I mean, the kid is just phenomenal.”
Holmes had seven points and 12 rebounds, Martin had eight points and eight rebounds, and Wilborn had four points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Micheala Bogans added seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
GAC, led by its high-scoring guards, Kaleigh Addie and Jaci Bolden, led for much of the first half until Cross Creek scored the final six points of the second quarter for a 25-21 halftime lead. The Razorbacks outscored the Spartans 14-5 over the first minutes of the third quarter, capped by a three-point play by Bogans that increased the lead to 39-26. GAC never got closer than eight points the rest of the way, as the Razorbacks made nine of 11 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Addie (18) and Boden (14) combined for 32 of the Spartans’ 44 points. Molly Pritchard finished with 13 rebounds.
*
Greater Atlanta Christian - 8-13-13-10 - 44
Cross Creek 10-15-17-14 - 56
Greater Atlanta Christian (44)
Kaleigh Addie 18, Jaci Bolden 14, Laurren Randolph 8; Sydney Lucas 3, Molly Pritchard 1, Ale Rodriguez, Myla Benton.
Cross Creek (56)
Jordyn Dorsey 30, Erin Martin 8, Micheala Bogans 7, Jasiiyah Holmes 7, Jenna Wilborn 4, Tahjae Hawes.
About the Author