MACON, Ga. — Length and athleticism won out in the GHSA Class A Division II girls state championship game Wednesday.

The Lake Oconee Academy Lady Titans (28-3), seeking to repeat as state champs, shot just 25% from the floor while the Clinch County Pantherettes (26-4) won the rebounding battle 43-31 and on the scoreboard 45-42 to take the title.

“I give a lot of credit to Clinch,” LOA girls coach Dodd Rentz said. “They’re a really long, athletic, skilled basketball team that’s hard to deal with. I do think we dealt with them OK, we just couldn’t get some shots to go when had to have them.”

Down three late, the Titans missed two game-tying attempts in the final 36 seconds. Without those, they had to leave the Macon Coliseum as the state runners-up.

“I thought they played their hearts out,” Rentz said of his girls. “I’m really proud of our effort. We didn’t always execute the best and we didn’t play a very good offensive first quarter, but we settled in, played better, and got good shots. In the end Clinch was just so big and so athletic that we had to shoot the ball really well to overcome that. They got so many easy putbacks. I don’t question my girls’ efforts rebounding either. We rebounded hard, but you’ve got 6-2 against 5-2.”

Clinch junior center Tyana Dorsey was the dominant force for the Pantherettes of Southeast Georgia. She had game-highs in both points and rebounds, scoring 19 while grabbing 20 boards.

Size showed up early as Clinch began the game on a 6-0 run. Junior LOA guard Georgia Bosart broke her team’s scoring drought with a 3 from the left corner at the three-minute mark. Senior Kensi Stevens added another before her classmate Hannah Heinen got a Clinch defender off her feet with a pump fake. Heinen knocked down the ensuing jumper to tie the game up 8-8 at the end of the first.

Heinen would be the tying force going into the half as well, knocking down 1-of-2 free throws to send the state finalists to their respective locker rooms at 20-all.

The third quarter wound up being the only quarter LOA won Wednesday. The Titan press started giving the Pantherettes trouble, leading to a couple of easy baskets. Senior Jada Williams was good at all three levels during the championship game. She nabbed an offensive rebound and went back up quickly to give her team a four-point lead late in the third. LOA would take a six-point advantage into the final period.

Dorsey took over in the fourth, though. She went for eight points and eight rebounds in the deciding frame, including the go-ahead bucket with 2:42 left. Her teammate A’Miyeon Grady added on with a minute left to bring the game to its final tally.

LOA’s tough shooting day continued with the game on the line as the Titans missed those final two looks that could have sent the contest to overtime. LOA went just 6-for-27 from beyond the arc on the day.

The LOA girls program loses four seniors who have enjoyed great careers as Lady Titans. One of them in William’s was the team’s leading scorer Wednesday with 16 points. Heinen finished with 10 points and seven boards while the junior Bosart totaled eight points and nine rebounds.

“These girls are special,” Rentz said. “Our seniors have won 100 games. They’ve got a state championship, and now they’ve got a state runner-up. They’re heartbroken and I’m heartbroken for them, but I don’t question their effort at all.”