Demonettes bring regular season dominance into Region 1-4A Final Four win over Perry

WARNER ROBINS — If you thought the post-season would change much for the Demonettes, you’d be wrong.

It was the same, dominant team on Monday as Warner Robins beat the Perry Lady Panthers to guarantee a home playoff game in a 76-38 final.

Three observations:

It’s different this time

This time last year Warner Robins was finishing up an odd regular season and entering the playoffs as a four seed. Their first game of the state playoffs was a loss, and their season was over much earlier than they’re used to.

There was a strange air about the team. You could tell they were capable of more, but for some reason it just hadn’t come out.

This year there’s an entirely different air about the Demonettes. They just finished the first undefeated regular season in program history, and extended their dominance into the region tournament with a big win over the Lady Panthers.

Warner Robins coach Rebecca White has said time and time again this season — there’s just something different about this team.

“Their togetherness is different. There’s a different atmosphere, there’s a different energy when you walk in the gym with this team,” White said. “They’re excited to play the game of basketball, and I think that’s been the biggest difference. They’re excited to practice, they’re excited to play games. They’re excited to check mark the next goal off. So that’s been the biggest difference getting back to the culture that I wanted to instill here.”

Getting into the playoff mentality

Even with the kind of dedication the Demonettes have to basketball, there still needs to be a mentality shift entering the post season. The margin of error is much thinner and every game could be your last.

White said that the team took some time to relax after the regular season, but have since locked back in and are ready to try for just five more wins.

“We took a little chill [day], we celebrated goal one. We came back in Sunday ready to focus on goal two,” White said. “But the focus is still the same. I haven’t had a team with this much high energy that I have now, it’s something beautiful to watch. Just their high energy, their willingness to pick each other up.”

“When one’s down, they can feel it. They’re picking each other up. I don’t even have to say anything. And these girls have been playing together since middle school. I watched them win back-to-back county championships in middle school, so just seeing them together now is beautiful.”

Yet another big win

Monday was (almost) the Demonettes’ eighth win this season of 40 points or more, and is just one of many lopsided final scores.

It’s also the sixth time they’ve scored 70 or more points, and that’s not counting the many other games where they’ve scored 60 or more points.

All that is to say that Warner Robins has been more than just dominant, and they’ll look to carry that same kind of energy into the Region 1-4A championship game on Wednesday and beyond.

UP NEXT

The Demonettes will play in the Region 1-4A championship game against Ware County on Wednesday at 7 p.m.