In Candice Roberson’s coaching finale, Westside girls fall 68-43 in playoffs

It was an emotional Friday night for Westside head coach Candice Roberson, to say the least.

For starters, there was the action on the floor. Roberson’s Seminoles had their season cut short in the second round of the playoffs by the Hart County Bulldogs, who crashed the boards with ferocity to outduel Westside for a 63-48 win.

But it was not just the Seminoles’ stellar 2025-26 season that came to an end — it was Roberson’s last game as the team’s head coach, ending a 14-year coaching career at the school.

Tears were shed by a coach who has given her all to the school on Heath Road and its students, but Roberson said it was time for a new chapter.

“I’m just looking forward into getting started in leadership. The coaching is done, I think, after 20 years of it,” Roberson said after the game. “Yeah, this is my last ride at Westside. Been here for 14 years. What better than a group of young girls like this to go out with.”

Roberson is the second well-loved coach at Westside who will be moving on at the end of the school year, joining longtime football coach and former athletic director Sheddrick “Spoon” Risper.

The Seminoles coach reflected on this year’s senior class, which led Westside to a 23-6 record this season and the No. 8 seed in the GHSA Class 2A state tournament.

“I love ‘em to death. They came in as freshmen and had to play, some more minutes than others. Watching their growth these four years has been like a mama cub,” Roberson said. “For them, there was some, ‘How’s it going,’ you know. People can always move their kids. … but they just trusted the process. They wanted to stay and make the program better, and that’s what they did.”

The progression for the seniors — Zylea Dinkins, Taylor Talton, Jorden Billue, D’asja Harris, Aniya Barber and Sade’ Reid — meant a lot to Roberson, but the Seminoles were out of sorts from the get-go in Friday night’s second-round playoffs showdown.

It was a defensive struggle from the start, as neither team could make much happen from the perimeter early. The Bulldogs did a better job penetrating Westside’s defense but did not always capitalize inside, allowing the Seminoles to keep it close. Hart County led 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Scoring picked up a bit in the second quarter, more so for the Bulldogs than the Seminoles. Sarai Shealer played well in the post for Hart County on the offensive end, pairing with Kiasia Montgomery to get things working. 

Westside kept it close with solid efforts from Domonique and Jorden Billue in the second quarter, but a banked 3-pointer from Montgomery right at the horn gave the Bulldogs a 26-21 lead at halftime.

The third quarter put a spotlight on Westside’s weakness — rebounding. Hart County dominated the boards on both sides, getting plenty of second-chance points and keeping the Seminoles from scoring with Jorden Billue inside. With Westside struggling to shoot from distance, it was easy for the Bulldogs to build up a 45-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.

“It was just one of those nights. We weren’t in sync defensively or offensively. We got away from the gameplan,” Roberson said.

That gameplan was feeding Jorden. While the senior Billue sister still finished with 12 points, it was not enough to stem the tide.

“For whatever reason, we just went away from that. The second key was just to attack the basket. We would attack the basket and just not finish,” Roberson said. “They just broke our press too easily the other way. Rotation wasn’t there. All around, just disappointing.”

Montgomery and Shealer tied for the game high with 19 points each. Montgomery was particularly impressive, driving into the lane multiple times and faking out Westside defenders before finishing with smooth layups, something the Seminoles prepared for but had trouble defending.

“We didn’t make her go left. She loves that one dribble. She’s gonna rock you. We watched it, we practiced it,” Roberson said. “We were supposed to sit on that left, don’t overshoot her, just stay in front of her. We would run past her or close out too hard and she would do her thing.”

Combined with some inconsistent passing and trouble defending Shealer, it was too much for the Seminoles, who eventually fell behind by 20 points before the Bulldogs closed out the 68-43 win.

Domonique Billue led the Seminoles with 20 points, though 11 of her points came in the fourth quarter.

Hart County will face No. 1 Josey in the third round of the 2A tournament Tuesday.