Jackie Hamilton and Hannah Cail end Calvary careers with class despite loss in state semis
It definitely wasn't the way that veteran coach Jackie Hamilton and his senior star Hannah Cail wanted their season, and their basketball careers at Calvary Day, to come to an end -- but the pair handled a lopsided defeat to Lumpkin County in the Class 3A state semifinals with the kind of class that defines them both.
Lumpkin County (26-4) came out finding the bottom of the net from distance and that trend continued as the Indians buried 11 treys on the night. Lumpkin's defense was forcing turnovers consistently from start to finish as they opened up a 35-point lead at the half -- before closing things out with a 78-31 victory.
It was the final game for Cail, the star senior guard who has signed to play at Georgia College & State University. The Region 3-3A Player of the Year had a team-high 15 points and closed out her career with a school record of 2,021 points in her four years with the Cavs.
And it was the final game of a storied 18-year run at the helm of the girls team at his alma mater for Hamilton, who led the Cavs (24-7) to the Final Four six times -- including a Class A state championship in 2008. He finished with 429 career victories.
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Cail was the only senior among the starting five which included sophomores Destini Gooddine and Bre Jones along with freshmen Molly Smith and Demaris Shields.
"It wasn't the way we wanted to finish, we're a young team and we made a lot of mistakes tonight," said Hamilton, 60, who will continue on as a teacher at Calvary as longtime assistant Daniel Jackson takes over as head coach. "But we had a great season. This is going to be a great experience for our younger players -- and they have a lot of potential going forward.
"When I look back at my coaching career, I'll think about how lucky I have been to coach at my alma mater," Hamilton said. "I love basketball and it's helped me create so many relationships over the years. I've always been tied to Calvary Day through my family and friends -- it's been a home away from home for me. It's never really been a job, I've always loved it."
Lumpkin County had too much balance for the Cavs. Averie Jones knocked down five from distance among her game-high 21 points, Mary Mullinax scored 17 points, Lexi Pierce had 16 and Kate Jackson provided an inside presence while scoring 15 points. The Indians entered the playoffs ranked No. 3 among Class 3A teams by Sandysspiel.com, while the Cavs were not ranked in the Top 10. That will obviously change when the final rankings are released.
Cail was the only Cavalier in double digits with her 15 points. Smith had six and Gooddine scored five.
"I can't say enough good things about Hannah," Hamilton said. "She is everything a coach could want in a player or a person. She's a great example of how to play on the court and how to act off the court."
Cail was the last one out of the locker room, and she gathered herself to speak to the media after the emotional ending to her prep career.
"It was a tough game tonight, but looking back I'm grateful for being part of this program and getting the chance to play for Coach Jackie (Hamilton) and Coach Daniel (Jackson), they have meant so much to me as a player and a person. And this was the best year we've had as a team since I've been here. To be honest, I didn't think we'd make it this far at the beginning of the year. It was awesome to be here in the Final Four, and I think this experience is going to help the young players in the future."
St. Francis 76, Woodville-Tompkins 36
The Wolverines saw their season come to an end against a talented St. Francis squad in a Class A Division I Final Four matchup played at Georgia College & State University.
St. Francis, which entered the playoffs ranked No. 1 in its classification in the state by Sandysspiel.com, improved to 25-6 on the season. They will face Galloway on March 11 at the Macon Centreplex in the championship game.
Woodville-Tompkins, the Region 3-A Division 1 tournament and regular season champions, entered the postseason ranked No. 4 in the state. The Wolverines ended their season with a 24-6 record.
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Woodville head coach Jeffery Roberson, in his 10th season leading the program, said senior Janiyah Heyward, recently named the region's Offensive Player of the Year, was whistled for three fouls in the first quarter.
"We had to sit Janiyah for a bit and that threw our chemistry off, but St. Francis is an excellent team," Roberson said. "It was a tough way to end the year, but I told the girls I was proud of them. We had an excellent season and reached the Final Four for the second time in school history."
The Wolverines will lose Heyward, who averaged 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, to graduation along with standout Sanai Chisholm, who averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists, and Dyquria Taylor (7.3 points, 5 rebounds per game). Both Heyward and Chisholm reached the 1,000 point milestone for their careers this season.
Roberson does have junior Brianna Pelote, a standout post player, coming back after averaging 10.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game.
"We're going to miss our seniors, they meant a lot to our program and always left it all on the floor. We lost our last game, but those girls are winners and had great careers. They were there for every 6 a.m. workout and helped create a great chemistry with this team. We've got nine freshman on this team, and now we're going to go to work developing them as they get more experience on the court."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Calvary coach Jackie Hamilton and star Hannah Cail show class in final game
