Panthers' season ends with 66-61 loss to Piedmont in GSAC semifinals
Piedmont ended the game shooting 42.9 percent from the floor (24-of-56) while LaGrange recorded a 31.9 percent effort (22-of-69). The Lions were effective from three-point range, knocking down 50 percent (7-of-14) from beyond the arc while LaGrange was successful on just 20 percent (4-of-20) of its opportunities.
Piedmont held a 42-34 lead with 16:49 remaining but LaGrange responded with a 9-0 spurt to claim a 43-42 advantage with 15:02 on the clock. The game was deadlocked at 47-47 before Piedmont rattled off eight unanswered points, keyed by three-pointers by freshman Lindsay Wiley and Jennings, to go up by a 55-47 count with 7:30 left. The Lions then extended their lead to nine points, 60-51, following a layup by freshman Alyssa Jones with 4:19 on the clock.
LaGrange then mounted a comeback, scoring eight straight points, started by three-pointers from senior Ashley Hoglund and freshman Heather Miller, and capped by a pair of charity tosses by Heather Miller that cut the Piedmont lead to one point, 60-59, with 1:51 left. Piedmont got some breathing room with 1:41 remaining when Jennings hit two foul shots to make the score 62-59. LaGrange misfired on its next three possessions before PC's Sada Wheeler sank one-of-two from the charity stripe to increase its lead to four points with 29 ticks left. LaGrange's Elizabeth Williams converted a pair of foul shots to cut the gap to two points before Jennings countered with two from the stripe with 12 seconds remaining that sealed the outcome for the Lions. Jennings scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half.
With Satterfield scoring 12 points, the Lions held a 34-28 margin at halftime, shooting 51.7 percent from the floor compared to LaGrange's 34.3 percent. The Panthers held a 9-7 edge in the early stages of the contest before Piedmont went on a 21-9 blitz, capped by a Satterfield trey, that gave it a 10-point cushion, 28-18, with 4:04 left in the stanza.
LaGrange was led by sophomore Holli Vann who totaled team highs with 12 points and eight rebounds. Senior Carmen Farr and sophomore Stefanie Schuck chipped in 10 points apiece.
Other double-figure scorers for Piedmont included Sada Wheeler with 11 and Alyssa Jones with 10 points, respectively. Wheeler was a dominant force on the boards with a game-high 16 rebounds.
Piedmont will play the winner of the Agnes Scott – Maryville game on Saturday for the GSAC championship starting at 2:00 p.m.