Tenth Article, First HS Basketball game

Woodstock girls advance to first final four

• By Chris Drummond Tribune Sports Correspondent

• Mar 3, 2021

WOODSTOCK — Bridget Utberg and Casey Miller put on a show.

The duo combined to score 55 of Woodstock’s 64 points as the Lady Wolverines rolled to a 64-39 victory over Newton on Tuesday in the Class AAAAAAA state quarterfinals.

With the victory, Woodstock advanced to the final four for the first time in program history and will travel to Brookwood on either Friday or Saturday. A victory there would send the Lady Wolverines to next week’s state championship game against either Marietta or McEachern.

“I tell you who’s a player — Casey Miller.” Woodstock coach Regina Tate-Lewis said. “I needed an inside presence, and she was that. Bridget was outside and Casey was inside.”

After Woodstock trailed Newton 15-11 at the end of the first quarter, Utberg took over and finished with 18 first-half points, including three 3-pointers, five rebounds, and four steals. She finished the game with 32 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

“We came out really strong,” Utberg said. “That was a really big focus for us. Getting the ball inside to Casey and finishing them off in the fourth quarter made it easier with a lead.”

The defense was equally impressive as Woodstock held Newton to only four points in the second quarter to give the Lady Wolverines a 30-19 halftime lead.

Newton opened the third quarter by cutting the Woodstock lead to three, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Miller — who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds — and Karson Martin pushed the advantage back to nine.

The Lady Wolverines took a 44-30 lead to the fourth quarter.

“I just think we came out and wanted it more,” Miller said. “We played harder than them and took care of business.”

Even in victory, Lewis said there is still room for improvement.

“We have to get more involved on offense,” she said. Teams are going to try to take Bridget away, so more people getting involved is going to be key for us