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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The streaking Callaway Lady Cavaliers will look to keep their season alive when they host Chattooga on Saturday in the second round of the Class AA state tournament.

Callaway, which has won six games in a row and eight of its past nine, thumped Union County 72-45 in the first round of the state tournament.

Next up for Callaway will be Chattooga, which finished second in Region 7-AA and beat Pace Academy 62-29 in the first round of the state tournament.

“They’ll play hard. They’re scrappy,” Callaway head coach Deyano Martin said of Chattooga. “We’ve got to do a better job of boxing out, getting rebounds.”

Callaway brings plenty of momentum into Saturday’s game.

Callaway (14-6) has only lost one game in the past month, and it won the Region 5-AA championship with a road win over Heard County before dispatching Union County.

Talented freshman Jazmine Thornton led Callaway with 19 points against Union County, and junior guard Niakoe Burks scored 15 points.

Freshman post player Lacy Thomas scored 13 points, and junior guard Gabrielle Johnson and the team’s leading scorer this season had 13 points as well.

Junior Camryn Stargell, who teams with Thomas to give Callaway a formidable presence in the post, added seven points.

It was, Martin hopes, the first of five games Callaway will play in the state tournament.

With one state win under their belt, the Lady Cavaliers need to win three more times to advance to the state-championship game in Macon.

“I told them it’s a five-game season,” Martin said. “We took one step. Each step is getting tougher and tougher. We’ll have to be ready to go.”

CALLAWAY VS. CHATTOOGA

WHAT: Second round of Class AA state tournament

WHEN: Saturday, 4 p.m.

WHERE: Callaway High

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Callaway finished first in Region 5-AA and beat Union County 75-32 in the first round of the state tournament; Chattooga finished second in Region 7-AA and beat Pace Academy 62-29 in the first round of the state tournament

UP NEXT: The winner will play Washington County or Laney in the third round