Being the best never gets old regardless of what your undertaking involves.
We all strive to be the best at what we do. In athletics, of course, the meter is easy to read. Tournaments typically lead to a team being declared champion.Â
Such is the case today for the George Walton Academy girls basketball team. As of Saturday night, there was no one left for the Lady Bulldogs to defeat. Champions. The best in their class. The king, or queen if you will, of the mountain. That’s where coach Lori Hines’ teams has been for the past few years. Basketball cloud nine is the team’s address.
Winning a state championship is never easy. Plenty of quality teams don’t get to take the championship trophy home. You can look at the 2007 New England Patriots or the 1996 Atlanta Braves. Dare we even mention that Atlanta Falcons team from a few Super Bowls ago.
For the GWA team in 2022-23, however, the final obstacle did not cause a detour. The Lady Bulldogs used another masterful defensive effort to defeat Brookstone 37-27.
This season marked a return to the GISA for George Walton and its athletic programs. Technically, the GISA classifies its athletic competition under the GIAA banner now but you get the idea. It was a return home for GWA.
A few years back during my first tenure at The Walton Tribune, the Lady Bulldogs came close to winning a couple of state basketball titles. In back-to-back seasons, the Lady Bulldogs went undefeated all the way to the state championship game where they fell, both times, to undefeated Stratford Academy. Those losses stung then and I’m sure they still sting for the players and coaches.
It’s why it didn’t go unnoticed (by this long time reporter at least) that GWA defeated Stratford in the quarterfinals this time around. That win was followed by a semifinal victory and then Saturday’s championship contest. The championship game was close. In theory, that’s how championship games should be. Sure, we all wish our favorite teams would win in lopsided fashion, but when the victory is secured late in the contest, one can’t help but enjoy it a little more. It just seems a little sweeter.
The championship game was played in a big arena. The championship trophy shined in the arena lights. Those things just added to the special feeling experienced by everyone associated with the team.
This is a memory that will stay with these players when they get my age, although that is still light years away for them.
This group of Lady Bulldogs was determined. They were fighters. They were tough on the court. They are also champions, something no one les else in their classification can say.
Chris Bridges is managing editor of The Walton Tribune. He is a 1993 graduate of the University of West Georgia. Email comments about this column to chris.bridges@waltontribune.com or to PO Box 808, Monroe, Ga. 30655.
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