Playoff run ends for Dalton in Sweet 16 loss to Chattahoochee
Published 4:30 pm Monday, October 24, 2022
- Dalton High School’s Ava Davey keeps the ball alive against Chattahoochee in the Class 5A playoffs.
Dalton High School had battled Chattahoochee to a tie at 23 points apiece during the first set of a Sweet 16 showdown in the Class 5A state playoffs on Saturday.
The visiting Lady Cougars (32-7) stole the final two points to take the set, then pulled away from the Region 7-5A champion Lady Catamounts (31-11) for a victory in straight sets that sent Chattahoochee on to the Elite 8 and ended Dalton’s playoff run after the second round.
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After the first set was a battle that changed advantages several times, Chattahoochee, the second-seeded team from Region 6-5A, got out to a 10-5 lead in the second set and rode that advantage further, grabbing a convincing 25-15 set win to push Dalton from first-set competitiveness to on the brink of elimination.
Trying to stave off that playoff exit, Dalton battled in another close set. The Lady Cougars gained some separation when they hit 20 points, and a 25-20 win sunk a Lady Catamount team that had won 18 of its previous 19 games.
But Chattahoochee came in hot too. The Lady Cougars finished second in a Region 6-5A that sends two to the Elite 8 — region champ Greater Atlanta Christian also advanced to the third round — and boasted three in the Sweet 16. Chattahoochee had won 10 of 12 headed into the Sweet 16 game.
It’s the second straight year for Dalton’s playoff run to be ended in a home game against Chattahoochee. The Lady Cats lost to the Lady Cougars last season in the first round.
Dalton was led in Saturday’s match by Gracie Ridley, who had 15 kills and 15 digs. Ava Davey contributed 16 assists, eight kills and six digs, while Hannah Ortiz matched Davey with 16 assists and had 11 digs. Jexikella Palma had 11 digs, and Tori Clark and Miranda Mauldin both chipped in five kills.