Athens Academy Girls Basketball

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For the Athens Academy’s Girls Basketball Team, the 2023-24 season began with cautious optimism of growth and ended with of pleasant surprise of exceeding expectation early. Coming off a 2022-23 season where they placed 2nd in their region tournament and lost 5 roster spots to graduation, a rebuild year seemed imminent. The young team had something to say about that however.

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This year, the team finished third in their region for the second year in a row, playing its most games in recent history with a total of 30 as they advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the Georgia High School Association State Playoffs. They ended the season with a 17-13 record. With 2 players receiving all-region honors and another 2 as honorable mentions, the program’s future shines bright as half of this team consists of freshmen. 

Leading the team in scoring this season was freshman guard Kendall Lawson, who averaged 18 points and 3 assists. She in tandem with Millie Pugmire would serve as the dominating backcourt of the Spartans throughout the season with a killer handle and playmaking skills to accompany the offensive juggernaut ability. 

Freshman Millie Pugmire averaged 15 points with 4 assists. She was a three-point sniper that could get hot at a moment’s notice, growing from a more passive scorer to focal point of any scouting report.

Sophomore Josie Collins, the reigning state high jump champion, put up 10 points and 5 rebounds per game this season, while junior Marie Rutledge averaged 4 points a game with 8 rebounds and .5 blocks. These two being the sole returners on the squad, harbored more responsibility than last year as they had seniors to rely on being primary communicators on the floor. 

Josie Collins’ in-game decision making matured significantly in addition to her shot selection as a whole, despite already having elite athleticism and all-around motor. Her ability to take and make difficult shots at the small forward position, not to mention her poise in getting to the free throw line throughout the entirety of a game makes her a matchup nightmare for any team. 

Marie Rutlege would also make significant strides on the defensive end as she did much better this year not getting into foul trouble as early despite being the only true center for the group following freshman Sally Swann’s injury early on. Her toughness was undeniable as game in and game out she would fight through tough screens and battle on the boards for rebounds against rosters with rotations of lengthy centers, which in turn kept us in games we may have struggled in otherwise.

Sophomore Ella Dixon was a spark plug off the bench averaging 6 points a game with 4 assists and 1.5 steals, providing much needed energy and communication on the defensive end. Freshman guard Chloe Love-Bell would work her way into the starting lineup toward the tail end of the season averaging 8 points and 6 rebounds per game. She was consistent in getting crucial extra possessions on offense due to her rebounding and consistent box outs. 

The roster’s only senior Myeisha “Sally” Bullard served as the heartbeat of the squad, taking the role as a playmaker and spiritual megaphone for the group. Her presence on the floor, selflessness in sharing the basketball and all-around physical toughness at the power forward position, allowed her teammates to thrive with great looks not to mention get timely stops on defense as her vocality would reverberate throughout the gym without fail. Bullard would receive the second-highest amount of votes from her peers in the Athens Area High School Girls Basketball Preseason Player to Watch. She averaged 5 points per game with 8 assists this season.

Head Coach Brian Olson, who hit a career milestone 100 wins in 2021, has since accumulated 54 wins since, this year culminating in the team’s first comeback victory of the season over the favored Calloway in the first round of the state playoffs. 

Athens Academy WBB

The team soared back from down as many as 10 in the first half and cut the lead to just 4 by halftime. The Spartans came back swinging in the 3rd quarter to take the lead with Millie Pugmire hitting an end of the quarter buzzer beater from deep to put the team up 4 points.The Cavaliers regained a 52-51 lead with a minute left in the game, but after a foul, Josie Collins hit both free throws to put Athens Academy back in the lead. After a turnover on the other end with 38 seconds, Millie Pugmire’s shot was blocked only for her to pick it right back up and hit a jumper with four seconds left to ice the ball game 55-52.

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Though they would ultimately fall to Mount Paran, the reigning state champions for the past two years, with sophomore Ella Dixon and freshman Sally Swann out due to injury, the immense upside for this group cannot be said enough. With more time on the floor together, learning the game, and off-season training and preparation, this group is capable of progressing even further. 

The team begins summer league basketball with Sandy Spiel in June 2024. Stay tuned to @ACAD_WBB on Instagram and @SpartansWBB on X for updates.