4-AAAAA girls final: Forest Park 34, McIntosh 30

Kayla Potts scored 17 points, including a key bucket and a pair of free throws in the final 1:24, and Forest Park claimed its second region title in three years, beating McIntosh 34-30 in the Region 4-AAAAA Championship Saturday at Ola.

Potts’ layup off an in-bound play with 1:24 left gave Forest Park (22-7) a 31-26 lead, and the Lady Panthers held on to beat McIntosh (24-3) for the second time this season.

It wasn’t pretty. The two teams combined for three points in the third quarter, and Forest Park’s Kanisha Thorpe had a tooth knocked out during a physical and low-scoring first half.

“Every time we’ve played them, it’s been a chess match,” said Forest Park coach Steven Cole, whose club beat the Lady Chiefs 29-21 earlier this year. “They know us really well and we know them really well. We know against them it’s a lot of pressure and we just have to slow down and take care of the ball.”

The Lady Panthers scored the game’s first seven points, and McIntosh went the first 4:15 without scoring. The Lady Chiefs pulled even twice in the second quarter, and took their only lead in the opening minute of the third at 20-19.

Potts’ 3-pointer with 6:20 left broke a 22-all tie and gave Forest Park the lead for good.

Tiffany Wilson added seven points for the Lady Panthers.

Gabby Seiler scored 13 and Amanda Lindsey 8 for McIntosh, which entered the finals having won 21 straight against teams from Georgia.