No. 1 Creekside’s defense does a number on No. 2 Marist in state semis

It’s rare air, “but I tell them all the time, ‘This was ordained,’” Creekside coach Akennia Ellis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “’This was destined. This was written before y’all were born. Y’all got to believe that.’”

Saturday’s dismantling of a powerhouse should bolster their faith. The War Eagles’ only two losses prior to Saturday were to two of the best teams in Class 6A, Cherokee and North Paulding. Marist (29-3) had won its first three state tournament games by an average margin of 27.7 points.

But Creekside employed defensive pressure to undo Marist, forcing turnovers and errant shots and scarcely allowing offensive rebounds. The War Eagles failed to make a single 3-pointer.

“Just out of rhythm, totally out of rhythm,” Marist coach Kim Hixon told The AJC. “That was Creekside. They did a great job. They did exactly what they wanted us to do; they made us play their game and that’s not what we want to do.”

While Harpring finished with 28 points, Creekside’s defensive attention made the scoring difficult. She missed shots she would normally make and was uncharacteristically errant from the free-throw line. Ellis turned to her best defender, sophomore guard Jacy Mitchell, to hound Harpring even though she gave up five inches to the 5-foot-10 star, the daughter of Georgia Tech great Matt Harpring.

“I was confident,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t think about any of the stuff she could do.”

Credit: Photo courtesy of Meredyth Gaynes

Credit: Photo courtesy of Meredyth Gaynes

At one point in the third quarter while Creekside shot free throws, Harpring walked to the other end of the court to confer with Hixon. Even then, Mitchell stayed with her.

“I think she did a really good job,” Creekside guard CeCe Dennis said of her teammate. “She did what she had to do.”

So did Dennis, an all-state selection last season who finished with a game-high 30 points. Defended by Harpring, the sophomore point guard took care of the ball and created for her teammates. She was at her best in the third quarter when she hit back-to-back 3-pointers that helped build a 28-23 halftime advantage to a 43-27 lead.

“She’s just so good,” Hixon said of Dennis. “When she’s on the floor, she makes everybody better. She’s just a great team player.”

A magical season continues for Creekside. In her seventh season heading the team, Ellis led the program through days when just making it out of the region and into the state tournament was unimaginable. In the 2019-20 season, COVID-19 reduced her team to six players, Ellis said.

But a nucleus of talented players has lifted the Seminoles to unprecedented heights. Prior to this season, the farthest that Creekside had advanced into the state tournament was the semifinals in 2001. Supported in Fort Valley by at least one member of that team, Creekside will now face No. 10 Maynard Jackson, which defeated No. 4 North Oconee in overtime in the other semifinal, in Macon.

“It feels amazing because it’s never been done at Creekside,” Dennis said. “It’s, like, history. We can talk about this when we get older. It’s memories. I love it. It’s a great feeling.”

Credit: Photo courtesy of Meredyth Gaynes

Credit: Photo courtesy of Meredyth Gaynes

The love for basketball is strong with this team. On occasion, Dennis and her teammates will go watch other teams play after they finish practice.

“You just want to go watch basketball,” she said. “It’s entertaining and then you watch what they can do. You know how to set up against them.”

Even before the Seminoles had advanced to the semifinal, they had watched game video of Marist, anticipating and hoping for this matchup.

“We had to watch other teams, too, just in case,” Dennis said. “You know, upsets happen.”

Saturday’s win also settled a score. Creekside and Marist also met in the state football semifinals in December, with the War Eagles ending the Seminoles' season. This week, members of Creekside’s football team prevailed upon the team to get payback.

“As you can see, we got the job done,” Dennis said. “We weren’t going out with an ‘L.’”

With one more win, Creekside can become a rare undefeated state champion and distinguish itself for all-time.

“That’s what we were talking about to them in (a postgame meeting),” Ellis said. “These are things you’ll be able to tell your kids. ‘Hey, I was a part of history.’ It’s a beautiful thing to see.”