Using a balanced attack of senior leadership and underclassmen newcomers, the Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers beat the McIntosh Lady Chiefs last Friday in the Battle of the Bubble, 45-29.

“We’ve had Tani as a post and Sunny as a post last year, but Lindsey has done a really good job of using her body and being able to contribute coming on as a freshman coming off the bench and just being able to bang down low and use her body,” senior Brooke Godown said., “AG is such a hard worker, too. She’s quick, she’s gritty, she does everything on the court that not everyone notices.

This year’s roster for the Lady Panthers has a great balance of returning upperclassmen and new, younger players. 

Starr’s Mill was led by Godown with a total of 21 points. Coming off the bench, sophomore Addi Grace Morrison scored six points and freshman Lindsay Kopacek scored 10 points.

McIntosh was led by senior Kendall Davis with 12 points. Sophomore Anna Dyachenko totaled seven points for the team.

The game had a very slow start in the first quarter with a lot of open shots but not much execution. The game became more physical with players diving for balls and battling for possession. The quarter ended with Starr’s Mill in the lead, 11-5.

At the start of the second quarter, the offense started to click, led by Morrison and Kopacek coming off the bench. At halftime, the Panthers continued to lead 25-13. 

“Coach Atha works us really hard at practice and we are all just locked in,” Morrison said. “We stay focused and I really think that Coach Atha really pushes us to be the best that we can be.”

Again at the start of the third quarter, the game had a slow start with Starr’s Mill not scoring in the first 5 minutes. The physicality continued, helping the Lady Panthers maintain a lead.

In the final quarter, the Starr’s Mill lead slowly dwindled before being saved by the team’s senior star Godown. The Lady Panthers pulled away for the victory, 45-29.

“People wouldn’t know but she’s at the gym every single morning before school. She stays after practice to get shots up,” head coach AC Atha said. “With Brooke, I would say the work works because she is always in the gym working on her game and it pays off for her.”

The Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers played Newnan High School the following day and won 62-34. They will play Buford High School this Saturday at Buford at 5:30 p.m. before their annual Christmas tournament.