By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

ALBANY - Facing one of the state’s best teams, the LaGrange Lady Grangers figured to have their hands full Saturday night, and they did.

Westover, the champion of Region 2-AAA, handled LaGrange 46-28 to advance to the second round of the state tournament.

LaGrange head coach Jan Jones was far from displeased with the effort of her players, though.

“We gave (Westover) a run for their money,” Jones said. “We just had a tough time knocking down some shots. I’m glad we ended it with a decent loss.”

Sophomore Lady Granger Terryuana Godwin, the team’s points leader this season, scored an easy layup with more than five minutes left in the third quarter to bring LaGrange within nine points.

That was the closest the Lady Grangers would come in the second half, but the team never gave up.

Even with a 13-point deficit as the third quarter ended, Jones and the Lady Grangers were still within striking distance and went into the fourth ready to rally.

A 6-0 Westover run to start the final quarter didn’t bode well for LaGrange however, and missed free throws squashed any hopes of a comeback.

“We’ve been struggling with free throws all season,” Jones said. “Sometimes we make them and sometimes we don’t. It definitely hurt us in the game.”

Godwin led the Lady Grangers with nine points, followed by Arneshia Williams with seven and Tanesha Lovett with six.

Jones was proud of her team for even making the playoffs. While LaGrange’s regular-season record of 10-16 - including a 3-9 mark in Region 2-AAA - wasn’t spectacular, the Lady Grangers won when it mattered.

An upset of third-seeded Troup in the region tournament earned the Lady Grangers a shot in the state tournament.

“Our players had a great attitude the whole way,” Jones said. “We also had a lot of fans come out and supports us, which really encouraged the players.”