Consistency helps Lady Panthers advance to final four
A Lady Panther hits the ball as it comes her way. The Mill defeated Harris County 3-0 in the elite eight to set up the team’s third match against McIntosh this season.
October 24, 2017
On Oct. 22, the Lady Panthers defeated the Harris County Mustangs 3-0 in the elite eight of the AAAAA GHSA state playoffs.
“I just think it’s crazy,” senior Gabi Ramkissoon said. “I didn’t think that we would make it this far. Every game and every second counts.”
A Lady Panther strikes a ball. Starr’s Mill plays at McIntosh in the final four of the AAAAA GHSA state playoffs on Oct. 25.
The first game started out as a close game. Stopping long volleys and showing the most energy, allowed Starr’s Mill to control the game.
“I think my proudest moment was when the ball was shanked to the left [in the first game] and everything was great,” senior Jessie Echols said.
In an attempt to catch up to the Mill, Harris County started hitting the ball with more force. This backfired, causing them to hit the ball out of bounds more and surrender more points to the Lady Panthers. The games ended 25-18 in favor of the Lady Panthers.
“We knew that they were going to swing away,” head coach Walt Ellison said. “We knew they were going to hammer us every chance they could.”
The second game against the Mustangs brought a 25-22 victory for the Mill. Harris County scored in the very beginning of the game, and stayed in the lead until the Panthers gained back their energy and fought back to take the lead. After the game was tied twice, the Panthers didn’t let the Mustangs back into the lead.
“I felt like I played really well,” Ramkissoon said. “I feel like there were times I could’ve played better, like picking up the team and being a better leader.”
Similar to the second game, the last game of the night was played within one point until the game was tied at five and the Lady Panthers pulled ahead and never let Harris County have any mercy. Throughout the night, the Lady Panthers remained consistent which was the main problem that hindered them throughout the season and that Harris County could not keep up with.
“You cannot say enough about our back row, especially Jessie. They played well tonight,” Ellison said.
Starr’s Mill moves on to play McIntosh who defeated Chamblee 3-0 in the round of eight. This match will be the third time the Lady Panthers will face the Lady Chiefs this season, with the last contest being in the region 3-AAAAA finals where McIntosh defeated a worn out Lady Panther team.
This match begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow at McIntosh. Come out and support your Lady Panthers as they challenge their crosstown rival for the right to play for the state championship.
