The North Forsyth High School Lady Raiders advance after defeating the Duluth Wildcats 59-52. The game was played at Raider Arena on Feb. 20. The Lady Raiders entered the state playoffs after defeating the Central Bulldogs in the regional championship. North placed first in their region after finishing the season with 21 wins and only four losses. This game helped the Lady Raiders finish in first place in the region for the second year in a row.

The Lady Raiders were going on a scoring streak in the first quarter. Ansley Allen, the team’s three point specialist, increased the Raider’s score by ten .

The second quarter consisted of important defensive plays from junior Vekondja Ogbogu who stopped fast breaks and  made some rebounds, which helped the team’s offense. Junior Harley Helms led the charge in the offense with her elite ball movement and intelligence with play calling. With these amazing players, North led the half with a close score of 28-21.

The Lady Raiders were on absolute fire in the third quarter. Junior Avery McAllister was stopping the fast breaks along with sprinting on offense as she was going up for layups along with being the defensive stopper. The Lady Raiders finished the third quarter 45-32.

The fourth quarter was the deciding factor for this game, as Duluth started to make a comeback. With four minutes remaining in the game, Duluth managed to deduct the score to six points. Ansley Allen came through with a late steal, giving North the ball with one minute remaining. Duluth fouled North’s points gaurds which led them to the free throw line, which ended the game 59-52.

The student section of North Forsyth helped create noise in Raider Arena which helped the Lady Raiders. The Lady Raiders advance to the Elite Eight, and their opponent will be Roswell on Feb 26. The Lady Raiders are excited for their next match up following their great performance last night.