March 13, 2026 — Last night, the Kell Lady Longhorn Basketball team made the trip south to Macon for the Class 4A championship. After an impressive season that included a Region 6 Championship, they fell short of winning their second state title. The Marist War Eagles, and GHSA All-Time Leading Scorer Kate Harpring, won the game, 58-50.
Having lost only five games prior to the title matchup, the Longhorns weren't accustomed to playing from behind. The War Eagles jumped out to an early lead, taking a 15-3 advantage into the second quarter. Undeterred by the 12-point gap, the Longhorns tightened their defense, keying on Harpring, and outscored Marist 18-11 in the quarter to reclaim much of their lead and carried a much more manageable five-point deficit into halftime, 26-21.
In the third quarter, Kell continued its comeback, cutting Marist's advantage and taking its first lead of the game two minutes into the quarter. They held control for nearly two minutes, but the War Eagles found their offense again and took a five-point lead into the final quarter, 40-35.
Marist held onto that lead, adding another three points to extend it to eight by the final buzzer.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lady Longhorns, but it signaled many positive indications for next season. The team will lose only one player, senior Kennedy Deese, from next year's squad and will return with experience and strong determination.
Coach Kandra Bailey was obviously disappointed with the outcome, but recognized the accomplishment of being a state runner-up.
"It's been a great season, but I'm super proud that we even got here," Coach Bailey said after the game. "I'm proud of the effort we put on the floor tonight."
Coach Bailey had given birth to a healthy baby boy less than two weeks ago, but even this couldn't keep her from the sidelines for the title game.
"Obviously, I'm going to finish this season with my girls, because they're my first kids!" she said with a smile. "But now I'm going to get back home with my baby tonight."
Kennedy Deese finished her final high school game with 10 points, Lyric Watson also scored 10, McKenzie Green contributed nine, and Asiah Thompson led Kell with 12 points.
