Lady Canes exit region tourney with loss at Sandy Creek

After reaching the Region 5AAAA quarterfinals with a play-in game win over LaGrange Monday night, the Cartersville girls were stopped Wednesday evening by host and third-seeded Sandy Creek, 44-28. “We battled and competed,” said Lady Canes coach Cindy Moore, “but we struggled to score — especially in the first half.” Sandy Creek led 8-7 after one quarter and took a 22-11 lead to the locker room at halftime. The Lady Patriots extended their lead to 33-20 heading into the fourth quarter. Arielle Belinga led all scorers and Sandy Creek with 16 points. Daija Powell and Jania Hodges followed with 12 and nine points for the Patriots. Cartersville was led by Ariana Cochran with 11 points and eight rebounds. Miya Moore scored five. Kierra Milline and Cio Seigler had three points apiece. Naijah Evans, Campbell Rogers, and Sequoya McConnell added two points each. The Lady Canes season ends with an 11-15 record.