Led by the steady scoring of post players Sarah Barnett and Abby Monteith, the Lady Indians were able to overcome their cold long-range shooting while earning a 60-50 victory over Darlington at the Huffman Center.
Armuchee (5-0) — which connected on 11 three-pointers in Friday’s win over Dade County —finished just 4-of-15 from behind the arc in the non-region contest against Darlington (3-3).
But Burnett and Monteith made up the difference, finishing with 13 points each.
The two players did some of their best work at crunch time, combining to score 10 points during Armuchee’s decisive 17-5 run in the fourth quarter. That spurt enabled Armuchee to transform a five-point lead into a 20-point cushion.
“We really feel like we have a well-rounded team, and that showed tonight,” said Barnett, who recorded a game-high seven rebounds. “Last year, we didn’t have much of a post game, but this year we feel like everybody on the team can score at any time.”
Armuchee’s balanced attack included a 13-point, four-rebound effort from Anna Catanzano.
Amanda Parris added nine points, five assists and four steals, and Chritina Nixon had seven points and six rebounds.
“It seems like we are having a different person lead us in scoring every night,” said Armuchee coach Tammy Norred. “And as a coach, it’s very nice to see that develop.”
Catanzano, who is arguably the region’s most dangerous shooter, was limited to 3-of-9 shooting from behind the arc — but one of her 3s came at a crucial moment and provided the game’s turning point.
With Armuchee owning a 43-38 lead with 5:39 to play in the fourth quarter, Catanzano drained a 3 from the top of the key, despite getting fouled on the attempt. That shot ignited Armuchee’s 17-5 run, which enabled the Lady Indians to build a 60-43 lead with 2:48 to go.
“I felt like Anna was really a leader for us,” said Norred. “She may not have shot the ball as well as normal, but she was big in other ways.”
Darlingon was paced by Ebony Carter with 13 points. She was 4-of-4 from the floor, and finished with three rebounds a steal. Lindsay Evans added nine points for the Lady Tigers, who upset Armuchee last season at The Huff but couldn’t quite replicate the feat this time.
“I can’t fault our effort tonight,” said Darlington coach Josh Hembree, “but we just didn’t execute very well. We had 11 turnovers in the first quarters, and that’s not the way we wanted to start the game.”
Armuchee led 19-8 at the end of the first quarter, with Burnett propelling the early surge. She scored seven points in the period, and controlled the offensive glass for the Lady Indians.
After missing most of the second quarter in foul trouble, Burnett returned in the second half and teamed up with Monteith to score several of the game’s most important baskets.
“We came into the night knowing that Armuchee has great outside shooters, but tonight it was Sarah and Abby that really hurt us,” said Hembree. “They made lay-ups on us all night.”
Up next for both Armuchee and Darlington is the Rome-News Tribune Holiday Festival. (For complete Festival bracket, see page 6B).
In other action Saturday:
East Paulding 54, Cedartown 33
Converting only 9-of-26 free throws, the Lady Bulldogs (2-4) dropped a non-region game.
Kirstin Prescott had 12 points to lead Cedartown’s offense before fouling out. Briana McFarland scored a game-high 20 points for East Paulding.
Cedartown visits Villa Rica in a non-region game on Tuesday.
LaFayette 70, Chattooga 60
Leading by four points entering the fourth quarter, Chattooga was outscored 26-12 over the final eight minutes and fell to 1-6 on the year.
Chattooga’s Coranda Hayes finished with a team-high 15 points,. Mariah Price and Jordan Stewart added 10 each for Chattooga, which fell behind 22-9 at the end of the first quarter but outscored LaFayette 39-22 over the next two quarters to take the lead.
Model 52, Trion 35
Janaye Jasper and Maci Siniard scored 13 points each, and Model grinded out a road victory in a non-region game.
Model was limited to just four points in the second quarter, and carried a narrow 23-17 lead to the locker room. But the Lady Devils pulled away in the second half and remained unbeaten at 6-0.
Alexa Rush scored a team-high 10 points for Trion (4-3).
Rome 92, North Paulding 24
Desiree Scott produced a career-high 20 points, and 10 other Rome players reached the scoring column in an easy road win.
Rome’s four seniors combined for 51 points in the win: Eurise Elkins had 16, Candace Foster 13, Keesha Wise 13 and Wendy Wade 7.
Mauri Wells, playing in her second game since returning from a knee injury, finished with seven.
Rome scored 38 points in the first quarter, and built a 59-13 lead at the half.
Alabama School for the Deaf 48, Georgia School for the Deaf 19
Kamaria Perry and Khalishia Borwn scored six points each for GSD in a loss during the Hackney Classic in Alabama.
Cartersville 48, Calhoun 44
Presley Nance scored 13 points and Christine Olney added 10, but Calhoun suffered a home loss to Cartersville in a non-region game.
Calhoun (0-2) faces Armuchee in the Holiday Festival on Wednesday night.
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