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Jacksonville's Kyra Williams scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had four assists, three steals and two blocks, while Sierra Stone pulled down 19 rebounds and scored eight points in leading the Lady Golden Eagles to a 61-29 victory.

Jacksonville (17-9) advances to Friday's area tournament championship game against third-ranked Hokes Bluff, a 51-37 winner over White Plains in the other tournament semifinal on Wednesday. Cherokee County's season ends at 18-7.

"We hit our first three and I thought that was a good sign, but then we missed the next 11. We were 1-for-12," Lady Warrior coach Leah Nelson said. "I felt like we never settled in and found our shot, and it plays a huge part in everything else. It takes the wind out of you on defense when you're not hitting shots, and you have to go back and play defense, and they're out-rebounding you. It's difficult to win when you're not scoring."

Stone's presence on the inside certainly had a lot to do with the Lady Warriors' struggles.

"She has not played all year," Nelson said. "She's been out with a hip injury, but she made a difference in the game, on the boards and rebounding and putbacks. I knew when I saw her warming up I thought we would have our hands full.

"I have to give them credit. On our press, we were a step behind. We didn't get a trap. We didn't get a steal. A lot of that turned into easy baskets for them. It just seemed like we couldn't get into our rhythm."

Jacksonville led 11-7 at the end of the first quarter and pulled away for a 29-12 advantage at halftime. The Lady Warriors were outscored 13-7 in the third and trailed 42-19 after three quarters.

Tatiyana Thomas and Aniya Jefferson added 10 points apiece for Jacksonville. Thomas also had seven rebounds and Jefferson added six boards. Aniyah Robinson and Kayla Broom finished with eight and seven points respectively.

Kendal Perry led the Lady Warriors with six points. Williams and Jensen Alexander had five points apiece. Alexander also had seven boards and three steals. Coley Battles finished with four points and 10 rebounds.

Even though the Lady Warriors' season ended prematurely, there's no doubting they made significant strides. Nelson believes it's only the beginning of something bigger.

"I don't think it's over," she said. "I think it's another building block, another stepping stone to what we've been working toward. Unfortunately, it was cut short tonight. I'm losing one starter (Battles), and I hope the underclassmen remember this, use it, work hard and make sure it doesn't happen again."