Baldwin girls' basketball began its playoff march last Wednesday with an 84-5 rout of Southeast Bulloch, followed by a 62-42 victory over Trinity Christian over the weekend, and a 66-39 win over Stockbridge on Tuesday.
Class AAAA’s top-ranked Bravettes have crushed their competition through the postseason. Literally. And they don’t plan to stop until a trophy is raised next week at the Macon Centreplex in the Class AAAA title game.
Baldwin head coach Kizzy Walker has her team on a 23-game winning streak heading into the semifinals, a place her program has reached the past two seasons.
“The girls have been a lot more dialed in and focused this season,” Walker told The Baldwin Bulletin last week. “They’re not complacent at all. They’re working hard in practice and are focused on winning that state championship. We set that goal for the year and we’re trying to reach it. They all want to finish the job.”
Walker’s players are firing on all cylinders, and it showed last Wednesday against a mismatched Southeast Bulloch squad, as Baldwin came out with high energy and cruised to an easy win.
The Bravettes had three players score double digits, with junior forward Kassidy Neal leading the way with 18 points, while junior guard Madison Ruff added 13 points, and freshman forward Suri Clark contributed 10 points. Junior Janaye Walker and Jasmine Williams each scored seven points in the lopsided win.
Neal, Ruff, and Walker are the team’s three leading scorers but got a chance to rest in the second half, allowing other Bravettes, including Clark, Zurie Grant, Trinia Lawrence, and Zy’Keria Paschal to experience some valuable playoff minutes.
Baldwin followed up on Saturday with a solid 20-point win over Trinity Christian. The Bravettes led 33-28 at the half, then outscored Trinity Christian 29-14 across the final two quarters to solidify their spot in the Elite Eight.
Baldwin’s usual suspects lead in scoring, with Walker registering another double-double, scoring a team-high 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Ruff’s performance was solid, too, with 17 points, six rebounds, and a team-high seven assists, while Neal added 11 points, five boards, and three assists.
The Bravettes carried the momentum into a 27-point road win Feb. 27 over No. 4 Stockbridge. The Lady Tigers were behind 16-4 after the first quarter, and while they outscored Baldwin 16-11 in the second, they never could recover.
For the second half, the top-ranked Bravettes turned on the jets, as they’ve done a lot this year. Their offensive and defensive prowess had them leading 46-27 at the end of three.
Stockbridge was turning the ball over, leading to points for Baldwin. The Bravettes also played sound basketball by spreading the rock around to different playmakers, who then took advantage of the Lady Tigers’ defensive mistakes.
Walker shined again with 17 points and 17 rebounds, plus four assists, three blocks, and three steals. Neal added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Williams added 10 points to the score.
Ruff totaled eight points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Jamaya Easley added seven points and seven rebounds. Paschal contributed six points, while Clark had three points and grabbed six boards.
“This team plays connected. They play for each other,” Walker said last week. “They're keeping their eyes on the prize.”
Next, Baldwin (27-2) will face Fayette County (24-4) in the Class AAAA girls’ semifinal, to be held Saturday, March 2 at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.