Lady Cats, Lady Canes fall in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs
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April 24, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
On Thursday night, both the Woodland Lady Cats and the Cartersville Lady Canes were defeated in their Class 4A first-round state playoff games.
JACKSON-ATLANTA 5, WOODLAND 1
The Woodland Lady Wildcats fell 5-1 to the Maynard Jackson-Atlanta Lady Jaguars on Thursday night in Atlanta, bringing their season to a close in the Class AAAA state playoffs.
Jackson-Atlanta struck quickly, scoring twice in the opening minutes of the first half. The first goal came on a free kick after a handball just outside the box created an open look, and the Jaguars followed with another goal shortly after to take an early 2-0 lead.
Woodland settled in after the quick start and put together a solid stretch of play, but the Jaguars extended their advantage to 3-0 on a counter-attack before halftime.
The Lady Wildcats showed improvement in the second half, creating offensive opportunities, but Jackson-Atlanta again capitalized on a counterattack to push the lead to 4-0.
Woodland broke through to cut the deficit to 4-1 when Ansley Burns finished a crossing pass from Sammy Espinosa. However, the Jaguars added a final goal in the closing five minutes, taking advantage of a Woodland turnover to seal the 5-1 victory.
Woodland head coach James Thomas reflected on the season following the loss.
“Overall, it was a good season,” Thomas said. “We will lose four seniors, three of whom were starters, so we will have some holes to fill, but we’re looking forward to another good year.”
The Lady Wildcats conclude the season with an 8-9 record, while Jackson-Atlanta improves to 10-6 and will travel to North Oconee next Thursday for the Sweet Sixteen round of the Class AAAA state playoffs.
PACE ACADEMY 7, CARTERSVILLE 0
The Cartersville Lady Canes saw their season come to an end with a 7-0 loss to the visiting Pace Academy Lady Knights Thursday night in the first round of the Class AAAA state playoffs at Weinman Stadium.
Despite the loss, Cartersville head coach MaryBeth Popham emphasized the bigger picture following the match.
“It wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but I’m proud of our girls,” Popham said. “They’ve had a tremendous season, and they battled to the final whistle. I’m grateful for the hard work, heart, and resilience they’ve shown all season. They grew as athletes, as teammates, and as young women, and that’s something a scoreboard can’t measure.”
The loss closes the season for the Lady Canes at 10-8.
Pace Academy improved to 10-8 and will travel to Perry next Thursday to compete in the Sweet Sixteen round of the state playoffs.
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