Marist quickly adjust to 'trust' in win over Stockbridge, advances to quarterfinals

Marist War Eagles break during timeout against Stockbridge in second round of 2025 GHSA 4A state championship tournament

On Friday, the Marist War Eagles girls basketball team kept their title defense alive after defeating the Stockbridge Tigers 56-24 in the second round of the Georgia High School Association Class 4A state championship tournament, extending their current win streak to 20 in a row.

Led by a 30 point performance by junior, Kate Harpring, the War Eagles began to hit their stride in the second quarter after they began the period with an 11-6, however outscored the Tigers 12-3 in the quarter to take a 23-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"I think we started passing the basketball. I think we really tried to make it hard in the first quarter," Marist head coach, Kim Hixon, said as she credited her players for adjusting and trusting one another in the second quarter. "We just have to trust each other. We have to run through our trailer transition and we just have to pass the ball," Hixon added.

As the game resumed in the third quarter, the trust level of the War Eagles was on full display on both ends of the court as they held Stockbridge to seven points in the period while scoring 13, with Harpring accounting for eight of those points. As the game continued, the fourth would see Marist continue to dominate, as they outscored the Tigers 20-8 in route to the win.

Now, with a couple days to prepare, the War Eagles will take on the Cartersville Hurricanes in the quarterfinals and while overall pleased with their defense, Hixon believes the trust established in the second quarter on Friday will be important for their offensive "execution" in the next round.

"We have to move the ball, we have to execute and the little things matter. We have to set screens and as we get further and deeper it's going to be tougher. People are going to know exactly what we're about to do," Hixon said.