Lady Eagles repeat as state champs

For the second straight year, the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee girls basketball team won the NCISAA 4A state championship.

The No. 3 seed Lady Eagles secured the state title with a 53-43 victory over No. 1 seed Cannon School at Calvary Day School on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The Lady Eagles are the first back-to-back state champions in program history, and the second in the school’s history, joining the boys soccer team that achieved this same accomplishment in the fall season.

The game was tied 13-13 after the first quarter.

“We struggled in the first quarter,” RGNS head coach Dale Earnhardt said. “We missed some shots we normally make.”

The Lady Eagles missed four free throws in the first quarter, going six-for-14 from the charity stripe heading into halftime down by five.

“Right after halftime we missed a three. They went down and scored to go up 28-19 and I got a little worried,” Earnhardt said.

Rabun Gap senior Mia Wilson then came down and hit a three before fellow senior Tuana Coskun knocked home a three, bringing the Lady Eagles back into the game.

“Mia was absolutely huge,” Earnhardt said. “She had seven points in the third quarter to give us the lead 36-33 into the fourth quarter.”

In the middle of the third quarter until the end of the game, the Lady Eagles went into a 2-3 zone.

Cannon, led by senior Virginia Tech-commit Samyha Suffren, couldn’t solve the zone and were limited to only four field goals in the second half.

“Our zone really deterred Suffren. They just didn’t have an answer for the zone,” Earnhardt said.

“Our zone got better and better in the last month of the season,” he said.

The deciding factor between the teams was the free throw line, with a combined 65 free throws attempted between the two teams.

The Lady Eagles went 25-for-40 from the line, with Cannon going 13-for-25 from the charity stripe.

“We went 19-for-26 from the free throw line in the second half,” Earnhardt said. “We followed the game plan. We knew Cannon would be physical.”

The Lady Eagles were up by eight with 24 seconds left in the game.

“I turned to the bench and said, ‘this is going to be the longest 24 seconds of my life,’” Earnhardt said.

The Lady Eagles knocked home two more free throws for the 53-43 victory, claiming back-to-back state titles.

Wilson, in her final game as a Lady Eagle, scored 16 points to secure her third state title. She also won a state title as a freshman at Murphy, N.C.

“Mia was huge. That was probably her best game in her three years at Rabun Gap,” Earnhardt said. “She’s just a winner. The game wasn’t too big for her.”

Wilson is joined by fellow seniors Ece Arabacioglu, Francesca Cergol and Coskun, who all leave Rabun Gap with two state championship rings.

Coskun finished off her final game with Rabun Gap with nine points. Coskun last week committed to Robert Morris University.

“She’s excited to play at the Division-I level,” Earnhardt said. “They’re looking for a ‘stretch 4’ and I told them, ‘that’s exactly what you’re getting from her.’ She finished this season shooting 43 percent from three. She’s special. She’s going to be good.”

Earnhardt highlighted junior Sofia McNabb and sophomore Ola Noworol as two who played well in the championship game.

“Sofia played super. She had eight points for us,” Earnhardt said. “She went four-for-four from the free throw line. Ola played really well -- her presence defensively, just altering shots and kept fighting. By the fourth quarter, Cannon was tired and stopped battling with her.”

Junior point guard Kornelia Ignerska ended with eight points.

“She just handled their pressure,” Earnhardt said of Ignerska. “To handle the ball so much, she got us into everything we needed to do. She was huge.”

Cergol and junior Monna Julkunen were tasked with the duty of defending Suffren when Rabun Gap played man defense.

“They just made her work. She had to earn her points,” Earnhardt said. “There were some shots that she still hit, but they did everything they could against a D-I talent like that.”

The Lady Eagles cap off the 2022-23 season with a 25-7 record.

“We did what we did all season, we found a different way to win,” Earnhardt said. “I’m proud of them. I was impressed with Cannon. They were strong, but I should never doubt this group of Lady Eagles.

“I think that’s their greatest attribute,” he said. “They expect to win. Sometimes I’d be giving the scouting report of a team and I’d say ‘this team is good’ and I’d see eyes roll. The girls would respond, ‘Coach, we’re good.’”

The Lady Eagles team consists of Arabacioglu, junior Carmen Cabello Rivera, Cergol, Coskun, sophomore Jayla Frasz, Ignerska, Julkunen, McNabb, Noworol, and junior Angelica Vanflorcke.

“This group is so special,” Earnhardt said. “It’s hard to repeat. After winning the first one, most teams stop being hungry. This team stayed hungry. They got bored in the regular season, but they stayed focused. When we went to Providence Day [the No. 2 seed in the semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 21] all the girls wanted to show who the real No. 2 seed should’ve been.”

The Lady Eagles will return seven players, including consistent rotation players in Julkunen, Ignerksa, Cabello Rivera, Noworol and McNabb.

“We’ve got a good nucleus,” Earnhardt said. “We’re graduating four that are tough to replace. But I say it every year, ‘we’re a different team, but let’s be better.’ I think this year’s team was different, but better than last year’s team.”

One thing Earnhardt wants to see improvement in over the summer and fall before next season kicks off is shooting.

“Monna and Kornelia especially. They both have really good mechanics, but their shots just don’t always fall,” Earnhardt said. “Monna has been the most consistent since January. Her shot is beautiful. Kornelia is going to have to be a scorer, which she wants. She’s just so unselfish. She focused on distribution this year, but next year we’ll need her scoring.

“For Ola, it’s just getting stronger and getting better at the free throw line,” he said. “The sky’s the limit for her. Carmen is already a great shooter, and I think Sofia will surprise people next year. She’s got a good shot. It’ll be a different system, but it’ll be fun moving those pieces around. This group’s work ethic is incredible. I never have to worry about them working hard. I think next year’s chemistry is going to be even better.”