North Paulding breaks through, defeats Grayson for first state championship win
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In a rematch from the 2023-2024 Georgia High School Association Class 6A girls basketball state championship, the defending champions, the Grayson Rams, took on the North Paulding Wolfpack for the 2025-2026 state title, as the Rams got off to a good start, powered by senior, CoCo Rudolph, who scored 13 of Grayson 19 first quarter points and finished with 32 points, as the Rams outscored North Paulding 19-11 in the opening period of play.
As the second quarter got underway, the Wolfpack's Kalee Hinkson would score the first five points of the period to bring North Paulding back within three points of Grayson as they trailed 19-16. The Rams themselves would extend their lead back to six points once again, but a three-points basket by North Paulding's Ava Dyer would as time was expiring in the quarter would bring North Paulding back within three points as they trailed 28-25 at halftime.
With the third quarter underway, North Paulding would outscore Grayson 7-4 within the first three minutes to tie the game at 32 a piece and would late take their first lead after Brooklyn Arnold would draw a foul on a made field goal and make the free throw, giving the Wolfpack a 35-34 lead. The Wolfpack's lead would then grow to 12 points by the quarter's end as a halfcourt heave from Hinkson would give North Paulding a 52-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final period of play, Grayson would get find themselves back within four points late in the quarter after three-point basket by Liyah Williams would have the Rams trailing 62-58, but with the game being under a minute to play, a Grayson foul would send Morgan Arnold, who finished with 17 pts and 21 points, to free throw line, where she would make both shots to give the Wolfpack a 64-58 lead, which would also be the final score, leading North Paulding to their first state championship win in program history.
"The emotions are so great! It's a whole bunch of emotions," North Paulding head coach, Wesley Willis, said following the Wolfpack's win on Saturday. "We've been thinking about this honestly as a coaching staff and a group of kids since when we lost two years ago to Grayson," Ellis said. "Just trying to get back here and fight an try to get back everything we possibly could," Willis continued, explaining how he and his staff were intentional in scheduling "better competition," in effort to help the Wolfpack return to the championship game.
"To get us to this moment is so sweet. We thought we had a chance last year, we got upset and we learned that lesson of how to be able to compose ourselves and it showed here because if we didn't have to go through that last year, I don't know if we win this game honestly," Willis continued, noting he did not have to give his team any "crazy speeches," and simply told his players to "be us, play under poise and not try to do too much one on one stuff and just settle and that's what they did in that third quarter," Willis said as his praised his players for their performance.
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