Upchurch Leads Lady Cougars in Comeback Win Over Clarke Central

Chattahochee senior guard Kayla Upchurch scored 20 points to spur the Lady Cougars to a 62-55 come-from-behind victory over Clarke Central Friday night in the quarterfinals of the girls Class AAAA state basketball tournament held at the University of West Georgia colosseum in Carrollton.

Clarke Central jumped out to a 17-7 lead thanks to the scoring of senior guard Alesha Smith, and some tenacious defense by the Lady Gladiators. Clarke Central's defense disrupted Chattahoochee's offense, and by the end of the first quarter, Clarke Central had a 21-12 lead.

However, the Lady Cougars were able to regroup and get on track in the second quarter. Upchurch, along with fellow seniors Erika Ford and Alexis Alexander, helped the Cougars cut the Lady Gladiators' lead to 29-26 by halftime.

The third quarter was evenly matched between the two teams. Clarke Central extended its lead to 37-29 at one point. However, the Lady Cougars were able to cut the lead to 42-40 by the end of the the quarter.

Then, the Lady Cougars made their move. Upchurch drove to the bucket, was fouled, and made the free throws, tying the game at 42. Then, Upchurch weaved her way through the lane and scored to give the Lady Cougars the lead.

The Gladiators' Alesha Smith responded by driving to the basket and tying the game with a little more than minutes to play. Then, with 4:15 to play in the game, Chattahoochee senior guard Courtney Froats hit a key three-pointer to give the Lady Cougars the lead, a lead they would never relinquish.

Clarke Central's Alesha Smith missed a driving lay up and Upchurch got the rebound and was fouled. She made both her free throws and Chattahoochee led 49-44.

The Lady Gladiators were unable to score on their next possession, giving Chattahoochee an opportunity to extend their lead. The Lady Cougars fed the inside to Alexis Alexander, who promptly scored two of her 19 points on the evening.

Clarke Central cut the lead to five when Smith dished the ball to Keyonnah Perrin for a lay up. The Cougars responded when Alexander scored on a short jumper, pushing the Lady Cougars' lead back to seven with 2:36 to play.

The Lady Gladiators cut the lead to four on a three-pointer by senior Kim Williams. The Lady Gladiators went to a full-court press, got a steal, and scored to cut the Lady Cougars' lead to 55-51.

Clarke Central missed an inside shot on its next possession, and Alexander got the rebound and was fouled. She made the first of her free throws, but missed the second. However, the Lady Cougars got the rebound off the missed free throw. Upchurch was fouled and went to the line for two. She missed the first but made the second free throw, making the score 57-51 Chattahoochee with 1:11 left.

Clarke Central guard Aja Sorrells scored, cutting the Lady Cougars' lead to six. However, the Lady Cougars held on to win by the score of 62-55.

In addition to Upchurch and Alexander, Ford was key to the Lady Cougars' win as she scored 17 points. Froats scored five, including a big three-pointer in the fourth quarter to give Chattahoochee the lead for good.

The Lady Gladiators were led in scoring by Smith with 15 points. Senior Aja Sorrells had 10 points and senior Cierra Jackson chipped in nine points.

Chattahoochee will advance to the Class AAAA Final Four to take on Fayette County on Wednesday at the Gwinnett Arena.  Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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