Camilla — In a contrast of offensive tactics, the inside game of Crisp Academy got the best of outside-minded Westwood in an all Lady Wildcats hardwood battle Friday night.

Led by center Madi Mitchell’s season- and game-high 27 points, the visitors eked out a 45-40 victory over a now Class AA opponent they have beaten the last two years for the Class A state championship.

All was not bright for the invaders, however, as the Westwood boys salvaged a split for the host school when they handed short-handed Crisp a 41-34 setback.

The Crisp teams will now be idle until this coming weekend when they travel to Tattnall in Macon on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. twin bill and host Westfield in a 4:30 p.m. Saturday doubleheader.

Crisp 45, Westwood 40 (girls)

On a night she needed just three points to reach the rare 2,000 points plateau for her career, Mitchell quickly got them in the first quarter that closed with Crisp holding a 13-6 lead it would never relinquish.

She then did all of her team’s scoring in the second stanza that saw the arch-rivals battle to an 11-11 draw that made it a 24-17 duel at halftime. When Westwood won the third period 13-9 to close within 33-30, Mitchell made sure her team’s lead didn’t evaporate by scoring her final 10 points.

“Whereas we concentrated on getting the ball inside to Madi (her daughter) for the higher percentage shots, their offense was pretty much designed to shoot 3’s so we had to focus our defense on that and did a pretty good job of holding them in check,” Crisp coach Gina Mitchell said.

“Our free throw shooting  (13 of 17) was awesome, too, and in the end that not only kept us in what was really a good close game throughout game but also won it for us.

“It feels good every time you beat them because it always feels like when we play it’s like, ‘OK, here’s the state championship all over again.’ And that makes us nervous against them because the odds are in their favor they’re going to beat us. But I’m proud of the girls. They played good.”

While Madi Mitchell was netting her 27 to pace the winners, Rachel Harrell was hitting 15 to top the losers.

Score by Quarters

Crisp Academy 13-11-9-12 — 45

Westwood 6-11-13-10 — 40

Scoring

Crisp (45) — Kayla Childers 9, Kara White 6, Jay Jay Yawn 3, Madi Mitchell 27, Morgan Wells, Kendall Wilson.

Team totals: field goals 16; free throws 13 of 17 (76.5%); fouls 5; 3-pointers — none; fouled out — none.

Westwood (40) — Mary Parker Westbrook 2, Callie Smith 8, Perra Harrell 4, Morgan Singleton 5, Rachel Harrell 15, Ivy Foister 6.

Team totals: field goals 17; free throws 2 of 3 (66.7%); fouls 15; 3-pointers — Singleton 1, Harris 3; fouled out — Foister.

Westwood 41, Crisp 34 (boys)

Minus Chip Posey who missed the game due to his selection for the GISA all-star scrap and another

player who sat out for undisclosed reasons, Crisp had just eight available players — two of them untested freshmen.

Still, it held its own throughout the first half that saw it seize an 11-5 first period advantage and trail by just two, 18-16, at intermission. By the end of the third stanza, though, its deficit had grown to 33-21 — a spread too big to overcome down the stretch.

“We did a good job of setting the early pace but as the game progressed we tired and got ourselves into foul trouble when we started reaching and that allowed them to go up by 12 at one point in the third quarter,” Crisp coach Jodie Hays said.

“We were able to get back within one with about three minutes to go and had a chance to go ahead but couldn’t get anything to fall. With them controlling the boards by about a 2-1 margin, we didn’t get a lot of cracks at the basket there at the end.

“We’re getting better, though, so to have a chance to win as we did is about all you can ask for as the coach of a young team.”

Hunter Chambers canned 10 points to top the scoring ledger for Crisp. Brody Collins sank 12 for Westwood which was playing its season opener after its late finish in the football playoffs.

Score by Quarters

Crisp Academy 11-5-5-13 — 34

Westwood 5-13-15-8 —  41

Scoring

  Crisp (34) — Hunter Chambers 10, Jake Smith 8, Jordan Howard 4, Banks Folsom 9, Jeff McKinney 1, Chris McGee 2, Drew Flanders.

  Team totals: field goals 12; free throws 6 of 20 (30%); fouls 18; 3-pointers — Folsom 2, Smith 2; fouled out — McKinney, Smith.

  Westwood (41) — Brody Collins 12, Dantry 3, Leggett 3, Davis 2, Grogan 6, J.T. Edore 8, Jamie Davis 7.

  Team totals: field goals 14; free throws 12 of 31 (38.7%); fouls 13; 3-pointers — Edore 1; fouled out — Collins.