Fourth quarter rally lifts Lady Canes to the second round

February 24, 2026

By Scott Barkley / CanesAthletic.com

Reese Gibson defends against Pace's Lawson Monroe on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the first round of Cartersville's 60-55 win. Photo by Scott Barkley

Barely ten seconds into the final quarter Tuesday night, things were not looking good for Cartersville to advance in the girls basketball 4A state playoffs. 

A Pace Academy three-pointer had just extended the Knights’ advantage to 11. The Lady Canes had seemingly spent the majority of the game scrapping to keep the deficit single digits, though they were briefly ahead after halftime. Many a defensive stand, breakaway opportunity, and close shot at the goal hadn’t gone their way. 

Then, Reese Gibson hit a three. Blakely Morris followed with her own. KK Arnold added another. 

Zoe McCurry’s shot from beyond the arc capped a two-minute, 12-0 bombing that put the Lady Canes up, 46-45 with 5:42 to play. It would be one of several key moments in their 60-55 win to open the state tournament. 

Cartersville (22-5) moves on to play at Warner Robins (23-3) on Friday. Pace ends its season at 13-11.

“This kind of win shows our resiliency,” said head coach Alvah Beasley. “It also reveals that when you play tougher competition early in the season, it helps you build that mentality for moments like this. We’ve played in big games throughout the year, and it helps a lot.”

Pace pulled back in front with some free throws after McCurry’s 3-pointer. But on Cartersville’s next possession, Morris was there after Arnold’s miss for the basket and foul. She sank the free throw for a 49-47 lead. 

The Knights tied the game again. But two Trin Montgomery baskets gave the Lady Canes a two-possession advantage. The first came off a drive from the top of the key into the lane, the second off an assist from McCurry for a 53-49 lead with 2:35 left.

Pace answered with a basket, but Morris responded with a jumper from near the free throw line to restore the four-point lead. Then, after the Knights hit a free throw but missed the second, McCurry brought the ball up the floor, spotted an opening to the left of her defender near the top of the key, and drove the lane for a layup that pushed the Lady Canes’ lead to 57-52.

Another Pace basket made it a three-point game and set up a key sequence in the Lady Canes' victory. 

With 48 seconds remaining, Arnold missed a three-point attempt and, as Pace players waited for the ball to continue out of bounds, McCurry zipped in and threw it off a Knight to retain possession. Then, just as the Lady Canes were going to be called for a time clock violation, a Pace foul put McCurry at the line. 

The sophomore stepped forward and hit the second of two free throws for a 58-54 lead with 27.9 seconds showing on the clock. But even more importantly, it cost Pace two possessions.

“That was huge,” said Beasley. “The chemistry on this team is good, and we’re not out of any games. Earlier this year, we were down by about 25 to Collins Hill in the third quarter and cut that to four a couple of times. So, we’re never out.”

Arnold, who took a hard shot to the noggin by the ball on the sequence that ended with Morris’ 3-pointer and was still on the Storm Center floor as the shot fell, led her team with 16 points. 

“It’s all about the fight and heart we have,” said Arnold on her team’s comeback. “No matter who we play, we can make a run and stay in the game. I feel like we did a good job demonstrating that tonight.”

Pace came out and controlled things early, building a 2-8 lead. Montgomery got the Canes back in it after hitting two free throws and two baskets, the second a length-of-the-floor drive ending with a reverse lay-up. 

Gibson’s three-pointer was the only Cartersville score in the final three minutes of the period, though, as Pace took an 11-20 lead. 

Montgomery’s 14 points to follow Arnold puts her at 17 per outing in her last six contests. McCurry added 12, while Gibson had 10, and Morris finished with eight. Pace’s Lawson Monroe led her team with 25 points. 

The Knights led by as many as 12 in the second period, but another Gibson basket and Arnold’s corner three in the final seconds pulled the Lady Canes to within 24-28 at the half. 

A bank shot by Arnold to open the third quarter and a three-pointer by McCurry gave the Lady Canes their first lead at 29-28. Pace regained the lead briefly before another McCurry trey, this one from the corner in front of her team’s bench. 

Pace would end the period with a 12-2 run, though, taking a 34-42 lead into the final quarter.